Ridiculous New Taxes

[Reub]

I just saw that Congress is moving forward with a new flu vaccine tax:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/con ... 19108.html

Last week I was hearing about a rain tax in Maryland.

I believe that the Democrats are pushing to tax internet sales.

There is also the new Obamacare tax about to begin.

So does anyone know of any other new, ridiculous taxes that have recently been implemented?

[clacy]

Yes, they have run out of other people's money to spend/promise away/throw away, so now they are just getting warmed up.

There will be VAT's, wealth taxes, income tax increases proposed.  A financial transaction tax will be pushed.  Retirement plans will come under attack at some point.  Some of these things will be politically damaging to the people that propose them, but that likely won't stop them.

This isn't a tax, but here is a great example of our political class in DC....

They are now trying to negotiate a deal to exempt THEMSELVES from Obamacare....

You really can't make this stuff up

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/o ... 90610.html

[WildAboutHarry]

So does anyone know of any other new, ridiculous taxes that have recently been implemented?

Oh, my yes.  Or at least considered:

"Today numerous laws infringe on poor peoples' ability to exist in public space, to acquire housing, employment and basic services and to equal protection under the laws," Ammiano said at a Tuesday morning hearing.

Ammiano's legislation faced a backlash from critics who said the bill would sanction behavior like urinating in public while exposing businesses to new litigation, undercutting the will of voters who had passed local ordinances and handcuffing city-level efforts to deal with homelessness. The California Chamber of Commerce included AB 5 on its annual list of "job killers" because it imposes "costly and unreasonable mandates on employers."

The amendments addressed those concerns, Ammiano and supporters of the bill argued. A widely derided provision establishing "the right to engage in life sustaining activities" including "urinating" was deleted. Another amendment jettisoned language prohibiting discrimination by business establishments.

And how to pay for all of these "rights"?

The bill would also bar local law enforcement from applying laws governing things like eating, sitting or panhandling in public places unless the county has satisfied a set of requirements that include a relatively low unemployment rate, a short wait for public housing and readily available public assistance.

"The city does not control the county's numbers or what they do or do not provide," Kolpitcke said.

Concerns also remain about the cost of the bill, which requires the State Department of Public Health to fund health and hygiene centers. At the committee hearing on Tuesday, even lawmakers who voted to move the bill underscored those qualms -- committee chair Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, predicted a "lively discussion" when the bill goes before the Appropriations Committee.

"Lively discussion" indeed.  More here

And let's not forget the Clinton Administration's (I think) consideration of the feds taxing "imputed income" from things like paid-for homes and other property.

[MachineGhost]

You really can't make this stuff up

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/o ... 90610.html

Holy sweet mother mary of jesus!  That is going too far...  whats good for us is good for them pricks!  Skin in the game!

[MachineGhost]

Here are all the proposed taxes in their full glory:

General Explanations of the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2014 Revenue Proposals

http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center ... FY2014.pdf

Noteworthy:

IMPOSE A FINANCIAL CRISIS RESPONSIBILITY FEE

IMPLEMENT THE BUFFETT RULE BY IMPOSING A NEW “FAIR SHARE TAX”?

PROVIDE FOR AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT IN INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT
ACCOUNTS OR ANNUITIES (IRAS), INCLUDING A SMALL EMPLOYER TAX
CREDIT, AND DOUBLE THE TAX CREDIT FOR SMALL EMPLOYER PLAN START-
UP COSTS

REQUIRE NON-SPOUSE BENEFICIARIES OF DECEASED INDIVIDUAL
RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR ANNUITY (IRA) OWNERS AND RETIREMENT PLAN
PARTICIPANTS TO TAKE INHERITED DISTRIBUTIONS OVER NO MORE THAN
FIVE YEARS

REQUIRE INFORMATION REPORTING FOR PRIVATE SEPARATE ACCOUNTS OF
LIFE INSURANCE COMPANIES

REQUIRE A CERTIFIED TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (TIN) FROM
CONTRACTORS AND ALLOW CERTAIN WITHHOLDING

EXPAND INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE (IRS) ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN
THE NATIONAL DIRECTORY OF NEW HIRES FOR TAX ADMINISTRATION
PURPOSES 

MAKE REPEATED WILLFUL FAILURE TO FILE A TAX RETURN A FELONY

REQUIRE TAXPAYERS WHO PREPARE THEIR RETURNS ELECTRONICALLY
BUT FILE THEIR RETURNS ON PAPER TO PRINT THEIR RETURNS WITH A 2-D
BAR CODE

PROVIDE WHISTLEBLOWERS WITH PROTECTION FROM RETALIATION

INDEX ALL PENALTIES TO INFLATION

ELIMINATE MINIMUM REQUIRED DISTRIBUTION (MRD) RULES FOR
INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR ANNUITY (IRA)/PLAN BALANCES OF
$75,000 OR LESS

MODIFY INDEXING TO PREVENT DEFLATIONARY ADJUSTMENTS

REPLACE THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (CPI) WITH THE CHAINED CPI FOR
PURPOSES OF INDEXING TAX PROVISIONS FOR INFLATION

[WildAboutHarry]

Let me tell you how it will be,
There’s one for you, nineteen for me,
‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don’t take it all.
‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.

(If you drive a car ), I’ll tax the street,
(If you try to sit ), I’ll tax your seat,
(If you get too cold ), I’ll tax the heat,
(If you take a walk ), I’ll tax your feet.
Taxman.

‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Don’t ask me what I want it for
(Haha! Mister Wilson!)
If you don’t want to pay some more
(Haha! Mister Heath!),
‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.

Now my advice for those who die, (Taxman!)
Declare the pennies on your eyes, (Taxman!)
‘Cause I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
And you’re working for no-one but me,

updated lyrics should probably read

Should five fifty per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don’t take it all.

When I was a kid (when this song was also young) I always thought, "Five percent tax?  What's so bad about that?"  Except the 5% part of the song is what the British Government let George Harrison keep, in other words, the song laments a 95% tax rate.

i should have guessed.... somehow i am completely unsurprised when i hear that..

[Pointedstick]

INDEX ALL PENALTIES TO INFLATION

MODIFY INDEXING TO PREVENT DEFLATIONARY ADJUSTMENTS

But of course… wouldn't want those penalties to ever fall. Penalties are great! Mmmmm mmmm, nothing like new, more, bigger penalties. I'm glad the government watches out for us by making sure that our penalties only grow and never shrink. Why, that would be chaos!

[rocketdog]

They are now trying to negotiate a deal to exempt THEMSELVES from Obamacare....

Well of course they are!  They exempt themselves from things that they saddle their constituents with all the time.  They also exempted their own generous Congressional pension plan from budget cuts, and they recently exempted themselves from the insider trading laws.  We are quickly heading towards a Kleptocracy in this country (if we're not already there).

I forget who said it, but I'll paraphrase from memory: "The colonialists fought a revolution over taxation without representation.  I've got news for them: taxation with representation ain't too hot either!"

One more apt quote while I'm in the mood:

"All animals are equal.  But some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell, Animal Farm

[WildAboutHarry]

i should have guessed....  somehow i am completely unsurprised when i hear that..

I didn't "get" that aspect of the song until I started paying real taxes. 

My favorite part of the song, though, is:

Now my advice for those who die, (Taxman!)
Declare the pennies on your eyes, (Taxman!)

Although the song was written by George Harrison, those lines were attributed to John Lennon. 

[MachineGhost]

Not to poop on the parade, but I seriously doubt the effective tax rate that anyone paid was literally 95%.

[Xan]

I'd believe that in Britain, at its worst, that was the marginal rate.

[WildAboutHarry]

At that time the highest marginal rate in Britain was 95%.

The US has had marginal rates in the 90% range as well.

Effective or marginal isn't really the point.  Remember the context of the song.  Four "lads" from relatively modest circumstances were suddenly awash in money and discovered taxes. 

"There's one for you nineteen for me" - the song is from the perspective of the Taxman.

Pretty radical stuff for a 1966 pop song.