Coffee Group Steaming over Espresso Tax

Yahoo/Reuters ^ | 8/6/02 | Yahoo

[ivegotabrain]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A proposal to levy a 10-cent tax on espresso and espresso-based drinks in Seattle has drawn the wrath of the U.S. coffee industry's key trade group.

Known formally as Seattle Initiative 77, the proposed special tax would go to pay for existing child-care programs.

"It is a bad tax," said National Coffee Association President Robert Nelson in a telephone interview. "The coffee industry believes early child care is very important, but (members) are in opposition of this bad tax," he added.

[ivegotabrain]

What'll they think of next?

[Fee]

How about a $1 tax on booze served in gay bars to take care of people with AIDS???

[toddst]

What'll they think of next?

Anything to tax everything IMO. No doubt this is viewed by legislators as a "luxury tax" since regular folks don't spend their money on high-priced coffee! Doesn't that make sense to you?

What amazes me is reducing government, thereby lowering costs, never enters their minds.

[Consort]

Trouble is brewing.

[nothingnew]

What'll they think of next?

Do you breathe?

FMCDH

[NittanyLion]

What'll they think of next?

A tax on any behavior without a powerful enough voting bloc to tip the balance in the next election.

[Dakmar]

Probably putting birth control in the espresso to complete the segregation of the class system: Those who have children and those who pay for them. Sorry, I know that's a little rude and tinfoil as all getout, but why should smokers, beer drinkers, or coffee drinkers be expected to pay a bigger burden for childcare than carrot eaters, people who buy supermarket tabloids, or skiiers?

I can tell you what they won't think of - letting people keep their own money to use it as they see fit, which may or may not include early child care.

[Hostage]

I'm in Seattle and tune into the local news for weather in the morning. I have to suffer through their lame attempts at propagandizing this issue.

Such as flash polls showing an overwhelming support for the tax "for the children", and quick pans of children playing in a playground.

It makes me red mad.

I and others went into a Mexican retaurant in Lake Chelan last week and we put our extra quarters in a cardboard display for children in need. The cardboard frame contained a simple appeal and seemed genuine. We felt good afterwards. We do alot of giving when the cause appears genuine.

But if I had been "required", forced by government to give that quarter to the restaurant, I would have felt bad about giving, because it wouldn't be giving; it would have been a penalty for my lifestyle choices.

A local talk show host John Carlson ran an interview with the person behind this tax proposal. The guy is a director of a daycare system. He sounded like a total loser. Someone called in and asked why he didn't single out sales of Barbie and Ken dolls, beers at the ballfield and so forth. His response was to the effect "because we didn't".

But the real irritant in this matter is the cheerleading for this tax by the local media. I always knew they were lame, just didn't think they were deliberate in their lies.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, I brew my own Expresso at home and I buy the coffee beans direct from Hawaii (less expensive and much better than supermarket chain coffee). But if this bad tax passes, then in the future for the few times I need purchase Expresso at a local cafe,
I will be carrying exact change and I will take away 10 cents from the cashier and throw it in the tip jar, or better put it in a charity jar if one exists. I'll make the cashier dig it out for the cash register just to make my point.

[ivegotabrain]

At least that makes (sort-of) a connection. But my caffeine habit and fondness for Starbucks as my pusher of choice have no connection with child care for someone else's kids. ;~)

[ivegotabrain]

Hear, hear! I guess that this proves that if you have a successful business in America (say, Starbucks) WE WILL PUNISH YOU!

Say, how do you get those beans direct from Hawaii?

[NorCoGOP]

Hey, if people are dumb enough already to pay $4 for a plain cup of coffee anyways - would they even notice the tax?

I never go to Starbucks - I can brew coffee that tastes the same at home for a MONTH as opposed to what I'd spend in ONE VISIT....

[ivegotabrain]

"Hey, if people are dumb enough already to pay $4 for a plain cup of coffee anyways - would they even notice the tax?"

I've never bought a plain cup of coffee at Starbucks. Is it $4 too? (My choice is a jazzy little number with four shots of espresso, chocolate syrup and a little Valencia orange-flavored syrup, topped off with frothy steamed milk...YUM...oooh, I think I need to go to Starbucks now.) ;~)

Even if they don't notice it, does that make it right? Is it right to tax cigarette smokers for every societal ill under the sun? How about the tax I pay to build a &%^$%# football stadium that I am priced out of actually entering?

[Chad Fairbanks]

Especially that tax for the stadium that we, the people, voted NO on...

[jonno]

Good points.

Would you mind sharing your Hawaiin source for you beans. I'd be interested in checking them out.

Thanks,

[Cultural Jihad]

What amazes me is reducing government, thereby lowering costs, never enters their minds.

The nation has a whole lot of needs, thanks to the personal irresponsibility which the moral-liberal industries like to foist and proselytize onto everyone else. Any tax on any moral-liberal industry to cover the societal costs of their personal irresponsibility should be seen as a good thing.

[Hostage]

http://www.oldhawaiiancoffee.com/

Enjoy!

[Dakmar]

You been cheating off Hillary's cribnotes again?

[Cultural Jihad]

You been cheating off Hillary's cribnotes again?

Gosh, how embarrassing! Hillary uses children as shills, so therefore no one must ever care about the welfare of children. (Sheesh)

[TomGuy]

What'll they think of next?

A tax on IQ's. Most legislators know they'd be automatically exempt from that tax, too.

[Cultural Jihad]

Hear, hear! I guess that this proves that if you have a successful business in America (say, Starbucks) WE WILL PUNISH YOU!

Successful or not, I would wager that 90 out of 100 Starbucks customers probably think taxes are good in general, except when it comes to their own vice!