California Tax Proposals

Ron61 · #1 (**permalink**) 05-12-2008, 11:28 AM

I just read a whole page article in the paper today about California's budget woes and proposed solutions. I do not know if this is true as I have about the same amount of faith in what our local paper prints as I do in what CNN reports.
But here are a few of the proposed new taxes. 8¢ on ITunes downloads. 25 cents on every grocery bag. $1.80 on six packs of beer. 25 per cent on pornography, strip shows and other adult entertainment. Surcharges for gas guzzlers. Close Sloophole available to yacht owners. Eliminate tax break for criminals.
Now the real kicker, if this paper is to be believed. All of these proposals have been shot down before they even got started for some of the most ridiculous reasons I have ever heard. Some, such as the gas guzzler should be defined more as the way it is stated, any car, no matter the age would fall under that if it didn't get over 15MPG. Pornography is a major industry and any taxes would cost a lot of jobs. A coalition of porn stars, strippers, and others in adult entertainment roamed the halls of the capitol recently to lobby against any taxes on them. They won't eliminate the mortgage deduction on vacation homes at more than $1 million because that would discourage the wealthy from buying property in California. And it goes on and on with this type of stuff while the state is now projecting that the deficit will be closer to $20 billion than the $10/$15 billion earlier stated.
As I said there is much more but I don't know how much of it is fact and how much is getting some publicity. I do know the state and counties, and cities are really hurting. Every time Redding raises the taxes on businesses they drive our a few more of the older and small ones and now they have only the larger ones left and are afraid to mess with them.

Ron

427sharpe · #2 (**permalink**) 05-12-2008, 04:50 PM

Pornography is a major industry and any taxes would cost a lot of jobs. A coalition of porn stars, strippers, and others in adult entertainment roamed the halls of the capitol recently to lobby against any taxes on them.

Thats it!! . The day they start to tax pu**y is the day to get out!

I can only imagine the 'closed door' briefings!

Ron61 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 01:40 AM

Well I missed it. I would have like to be there to see how much business they managed to come up with in the hallowed halls of our Capital. Obviously enough to get the lawmakers to see things their way. Oh, well they can raise the taxes on what small businesses are left in the state and run them out and then they won't have anyone left that can support their lifestyle except some of their wealthy friends with the yachts. What really bugs me is they will stop a person up here with Oregon plates if you bought the car in Oregon and left it for the 90 days and charge you with fraud and a big fine. What is different from that than the multi million dollar yachts left in Mexico for 90 days so they don't have to pay the taxes on them.

Ron

Wayne Maybury · #4 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 07:04 AM

The big problem is that governments seem to never look at cutting back waste, instead they always look at increasing revenue. Government spending reminds me of trying to fill a sieve with water. Instead of blocking some of the holes, they just try to pour in the water more quickly.

Wayne

Ron61 · #5 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 07:07 AM

Wayne,

Have you read the Aussie Thread yet? I though we were bad here but they are carrying revenue raising to ridiculous lengths.

Ron

Bill Bess · #6 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 07:40 AM

California is a wonderful place to be from, living in AZ gives me some perspective on how bad California really is.

AZ is great...kinda like the "wild west", we can carry guns, drive fast
(75), you can register anything as a legal vehicle to drive on the streets and have a real lawman Sheriff Joe.
Some taxes are still bad though but so far gas is at least .50 cents cheaper than CA.

Hanging on, Bill

Ron61 · #7 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 07:55 AM

Bill,

How do property taxes in Arizona compare with California? I still can't find the web site that I found one time that you could just put in the location, price of the property and such and it would give you a pretty good idea of what the property taxes would be.

Ron

wtm442 · #8 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 01:58 PM

I always thought it was bad living in Taxxachusetts, but Kalifornicator has gone off the deep end.

Lawmakers can still feel secure in their jobs by increasing porn taxes, because only the stars complain (very few people). Tons of people view porn, but they do not broadcast that fact to their neighbors.

But a 25 cent tax on grocery bags? Oh boy. Talk about a $hitstorm.

When will they start taxing air? If you live in smoggy LA the tax is very high, but if you live in a smog-free area, the "air taxes" are very low. Think of it! Mass exodus from large cities to avoid the high air tax lowers the smog in those cities and relocates people in the lower smog areas. What a brilliant idea. Do you think I should move and run for office in Kalifornicator?