Sales tax? Really?

[Dakota8338 115]

On 10/16/2019 at 2:38 PM, Ed Kennell said:

 

 

I still remember the Harrisburg campaign a few years ago to require all boats to be titled.   "This requirement is necessary to help protect the boat owner from  boat theft."

My homeowners policy already protected my boats from theft.

But, with 350,000 boats registered and $50 for a title and $50 for registration,  got a quick $35 million into the state coffers (401Ks).

Don't be surprised when you hear about a state plan to prevent lawn mower theft.

Several years ago this state decided to add a single dollar, as a single annual fee on every water meter bill in the state, dedicated to support funding for laboratory analysis of both bacteriological and chemical monitoring on public water samples.  It has been too many years to remember the exact numbers, but it was something like this:  The fee was projected to generate 3.5 million in funding, but when the revenue was tabulated it brought in something like 5.75 million.  

 

I had nothing to do with the measure, didn't even know about it until a friend, who was also a public health engineer, was telling me about the matter, after that first years funding was known.  I told my friend, in a couple of years when the state needs another quick five million, they will decide to make the fee (tax) biannually.  Then in a couple more years they will make it quarterly, and ultimately, what the heck, we can always use an extra 65 - 75 million dollars every year, so let's just make it monthly. 

 

I was severely rebuked, and told that would never happen.  Unfortunately my friend was diagnosed with Cancer of the Brain just a couple years later and died much too young.  He never lived to see what he denied come to pass, but it did.  

 

Fast forward a few more years.  My prediction was wrong.  Never twice a year, not even quarterly, directly from once a year to once a month as I could see coming.  From the city, to county, to state, to federal government, they all have an insatiable desire to spend the citizens money.  And all are looking for any & all "Creative Taxes" and Creative Taxable Ideas.  

 

 

Another scheme from a city with a population of about 100,000 near where I live.  To increase funding for their animal control program, they hatched a plan to register all pets within the county.  Dogs, Cats, Birds, Gerbils, Mice, Ferrets, Reptiles, Monkeys, Goats, IT DID NOT MATTER.  Being kept inside the home or inside a fenced yard was all the same.  The one POSSIBLY exception may have been fish in an aquarium, since I am not sure anyone ever got a clear answer on that one.  (My guess is, if not included initially, they would have been incorporated into the registration plan in short order.)  Twenty-five dollars per pet.  I believe their projected registration was 3.5 pets per household, or roughly 3.5 Million dollars increase in funding.  The people voted the proposal down, but it will be brought up again, again & again until they finally obtain a five dollar registration fee or some other amount.  Once locked in place, then the fee increases begin. 

 

We had a good start, but we just need more.   repeat, Repeat & REPEAT, Their song never ends!

 

 

If someone could determine how to calculate the air we breath, we would all be taxed on either the air we take in, the carbon dioxide we expel, or both, since the two are totally different entities.

 

 

I could go on, but time to step down from the 'Soap Box!'  

[Dakota8338 115]

On 10/15/2019 at 11:55 AM, C-85 said:

But I've seen many of our good old brick and mortar businesses go out of business, mainly due to internet sales, so this is troubling.

C-85

I have seen China-Mart move into a rural county, put all the mom & pop business, out of business, then decided they (China-Mart) did not have enough business themselves, so they closed up shop and walked away, leaving the county without any source of funding.  Eventually some small businesses began to open up to provide residents with a local source of a few items and a small tax base for the county.  

 

It's six of one, half a dozen of the other, but if our liberal politicians have their way, we're all going to be paying for that "Rainbow Soup" (Merle Haggard sang about so many years ago), being fed, to the flood of illegal immigrants coming across our open borders.  I understand it is now a $250,000 fine in New York City to say illegal immigrant, but if they are not legal, what does one call them?  Any suggestions?    

[adsm08 2,047]

8 hours ago, Dakota8338 said:

I have seen China-Mart move into a rural county, put all the mom & pop business, out of business, then decided they (China-Mart) did not have enough business themselves, so they closed up shop and walked away, leaving the county without any source of funding.  Eventually some small businesses began to open up to provide residents with a local source of a few items and a small tax base for the county.  

 

It's six of one, half a dozen of the other, but if our liberal politicians have their way, we're all going to be paying for that "Rainbow Soup" (Merle Haggard sang about so many years ago), being fed, to the flood of illegal immigrants coming across our open borders.  I understand it is now a $250,000 fine in New York City to say illegal immigrant, but if they are not legal, what does one call them?  Any suggestions?    

 

I want to head up to NYC, stand in Times Square, and scream "Illegal Immigrant" until I lose my voice or get arrested, and then sue the city, the PD, and the officer personally, for violating my 1st amendment rights.

[WHX?? 48,815]

Crap beat me to it Madge.... 

4 hours ago, NatilsVersy said:

I risk losing my car too.

We don't care about yer stupid car but we'll come after the horses if yer gonna lose them.... 

[Lee1977 6,656]

On 10/15/2019 at 8:54 PM, ebinmaine said:

That won't help.

Here in Maine we register ATVs that aren't street driven.

 

I hear they are looking at tractors even parts tractors there coming for you EB! 

[ebinmaine 67,439]

4 hours ago, Lee1977 said:

I hear they are looking at tractors even parts tractors there coming for you EB! 

Time to move further into the forest!!

[ahiacanon 1]

It looks like all the government does is tries to invent more and more new taxes

[Beap52 809]

Missourians voted down an increase in fuel tax-more than once if I remember correctly. Apparently, the government can increase taxes in small increments without voter approval. So, the Senate bill 262 approved a 2.5 cent per gallon increase each year for the next five years.  However, the state government says if you don't want to pay the increase tax, you can submit a form and receive a refund.  In order to get your refund of a tax that you did not vote on the paperwork/form/documentation is pretty much overwhelming.   25 or 30 years ago, Reader's Digest had an article about a family that computed the taxes they paid.  Some taxes are hidden other outright and they figured that one half of their income was given over to various governmental agencies. 

[rmaynard 15,436]

Just a bit of defiance here. When you order a brake lining from me on eBay, you are forced by eBay to pay sales tax for your state. That's not my call. However, if you buy one from me on RedSquare Vendor, there is no sales tax collected.

[lynnmor 7,305]

42 minutes ago, rmaynard said:

Just a bit of defiance here. When you order a brake lining from me on eBay, you are forced by eBay to pay sales tax for your state. That's not my call. However, if you buy one from me on RedSquare Vendor, there is no sales tax collected.

 

I would be careful saying that, we don't want to open a can of worms here.  The laws are the same for all retail sales, just not strictly enforced for small retailers..... yet.

[rmaynard 15,436]

1 hour ago, lynnmor said:

 

I would be careful saying that, we don't want to open a can of worms here.  The laws are the same for all retail sales, just not strictly enforced for small retailers..... yet.

My RedSquare sales are handled by PayPal, who gives me the option of collecting or not. I choose the latter.

[maddygobi 0]

I thought that they had it in all the states. If you order something from abroad in my state, you get to pay a certain tax if the item you buy is more expensive than a certain sum of money.
It is understandable, but I don’t get it when they lower this price, so more items fall under this rule. Sometimes I think that all they do in the government is invent new taxes we must pay. My financial paperwork has always been clean, and I know how to get pay stubs from direct deposit. But now I think that I need to start avoiding some of the taxes because I can’t afford to pay all of them.

Edited August 12, 2022 by maddygobi