The New Little Things to Tax

[sylvie]

See any of these in your area yet?
Ohio, for one state, apparently has quite a few ideas on how to raise money with new taxes or increasing taxes; a fivefold increase to renew a livestock license, larger sums to register a car or order a birth certificate. Other fees take aim at hospitals and landlords.

Some states' cities have already implemented response and accident clean up fees. They've added monthly street light user fees, upping dog licenses, and a myriad of others.

It is our individual responsibility to learn what our area plans. If we don't like it, then participate in the discussion by attending the public meetings and writing or calling those legislating and those with the power to approve these fees and hikes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/business/11fees.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

 

[dacjohns]

Something being considered by at least one state and maybe even at the national level is a mileage tax. Taxing us on the miles we drive. I think it is because with hybrids, electric cars, lower mileage cars there is a possibility of lower gas tax revenue.

 

[freemotion]

My new mantra is, the less I spend, the less I'm taxed. Many taxes are unavoidable, though.

 

[enjoy the ride]

Yeah- here in sunny-oops rainy, California, the only two cities in the county have raised sales taxes. The state has increased license fees and a host of other things. Of course, these raises are all accompanied with statements about how this will not be enough.
That is likely to be a trend until the turnip being squeezed screams loud enough.
My local state representative made a statement that his political party had "sacrificed" enough in the budget negotiations and that it was time for the other party to agree to raise taxes.
I think this is what makes me most angry about these elected people- that it is ok with them to use my earnings on whims and wishes without at least acknowledging that what they take from me makes me poorer. They have a real disconnect between the money taken and the poor person from which it is taken.

 

[sylvie]

It will become difficult to budget for these new taxes and fees. They will be coming at us fast and numerous to make up for local government's own budget shortfalls. Even if we aren't directly taxed for certain services it will be passed on to us.

 

[freemotion]

I am a huge fan of increasing taxes on things like cigarettes and candy and alcohol and jewelry. Although I enjoy the latter two on occasion, I can certainly live without them if money is tight.

 

[FarmerChick]

Taxes on all things will go up....these items are not exempt from increase.

No surprise to me. If they want to increase cigs and alcohol, at the same time they will increase property taxes, license renewals, vehicle taxes, etc. etc.

No surprise to me on any of this.......future means it will cost more to live.

If you don't want to pay taxes on anything, don't own or buy anything. What choices do we have but to "maybe" not buy a few things.



The old saying...nothing is certain in life but taxes and death!

 

[Mackay]

Sin taxes are OK hugh?

Well if they are going to tax cigarets they should make it $20 bucks a pack...cause their measly increases don't keep my guy from smoking and it does drain our account, and the taxes don't really even go to healthcare costs in a lot of states. Now $20 bucks a pack might slow him down!

Tax jewelry? Heh! I make jewelry. And I keep it affordable! Every woman should have precious stones for healing and inspiration, to focus and hold light....that which feeds the soul should not be taxed!

They just increased the cost of vehicle registration by $20 in our stated...so between the kids and us at our household that's $100 MORE a year!

On the lighter side, Obama has sent our household at least 1200 dollars, and thats just for me and DH. Don't know if the kids got anything yet. We don't claim them anymore. And I can't wait to see my paycheck next week, there should be a tax decrease there.

 

[VT-Chicklit]

I have to vent before I explode!!!!!!!!
I just recieved notification from my town today that they were increasing my property value (mighty big of them). They did not do a reassessment in order to detirmine that my property was worth more because I was reassessed right before the bottom fell out of the housing market. I currently can not sell my property for what it was assessed for back then. If they reassessed, they would have to drop property values in my town. What they have done instead was to say that beach rights that apear in my deed add value to my property and after 25 years, they ae going to tax that perceived value.

I live on an island in Lake Champlain. I do not own lake shore property, but my deed allows me to use the beach of another person who does. This was written into my deed when I purchased the property 25 years ago by the owner of the lake front property and my property. This was also written into 12 other parcels of land that he owned. He sold all the parcels 20 -25 years ago, including the lake front with the main house, which was sold last. The person who bought the lake front and house bought it with the lake access in place but has refused to pay the taxes on the lake front because he has said that it is owned by the 12 parcels and it is not his with the house. The town is now trying, after 25 years, to collect taxes thrugh the back door by saying that this access increases the value of our property even if we do not own it! It seems to me that the taxes should be gotton from the person that owns it and by calculating an added value on us they are double taxing that lake front. Since I do not own the lake front, I can not sell it, or gain a profit from it. The owner can alter it, pile junk on it and pretty much do what he wants with it as long as it is legal. This increase in my property tax is kind of like assessing everyone in town additional property value because St Annes Shrine with its public beach is in our town and everyone can access the beach there. I dont see the difference.

 

[Big Daddy]

The cities have had a serious drop in sales tax revenues because of the recession/depression. They got to make up the difference somehow. It's either increase taxes or cut services like schools, police, firemen. A lot of places are having their city workers have unpaid days off. Here in Kiowa they don't have the court house open on Friday anymore. So no permits, license plates or any of that stuff on Friday. That's easy to do in a podunk town like Kiowa. Can't see it in Denver though.

I've heard of a lot of different ways to raise revenue. Lot of sin taxes. Too bad they can't figure out some obvious stuff like legalizing and taxing pot, or do like Nevada and legalize prostitution ( there's a real sin tax). People are going to do those things anyway so they might as well make it safer and tax it.