Posted on 03/27/2013 2:30:43 PM PDT by Kaslin
California already has one of the highest tax burdens and worst business tax climates in the country, but hey, why not think up a few more convoluted ways the state can take still more money out of the private sector and put it toward the government’s disposal instead? Because that is always the perfect recipe for encouraging economic growth, don’t you know:
A California official is bringing new life to the argument that the Internet — including emails — is an untapped revenue resource that should be taxed to help local economies.
Berkeley City Councilman Gordon Wozniak brought up taxing emails during a recent council meeting. He suggested the money collected, which would be part of a wider-reaching Internet tax, could be used in Berkeley’s case to save the local post office.
“There should be something like a bit tax,” he said during the March 5 meeting. “I mean, a bit tax could be a cent per gigabit and they would make, probably, billions of dollars a year.”
Plus, he said, there should be a “very tiny tax on email.”
This idea goes beyond already-controversial proposals to tax e-commerce — like buying used books on Amazon. This would be a tax on data.
“Taxed to help local economies”? Please. More taxes are exactly what won’t help local economies, and this is just a fancy proposal for slapping a stealth tax on everyone and anyone who uses the Internet. Why bother be so complicated about the attempt to bring in still more revenue for the government’s use and go through the bureaucratic trouble of figuring out how to levy that tax? Why not just say you want to raise existing taxes some more and avoid the practical hassle? Would that just be too politically straightforward for the progressive denizens or what?
It’s just one state legislator’s proposal, and thanks to the 1998 Internet Tax Freedom Act (which expires this year, but Sens. Ayotte and Heller have already proposed legislation to extend it indefinitely), it’s not likely to happen, but good grief. This is exactly the opposite of what states like Louisiana and Nebraska are trying to do to streamline their own tax codes and make them more efficient, competitive, and business-friendly, and it is a terrible idea.
Very Very sasy to side step.
But they still want a new 400 person union staffed agency to try it.
Very Very easy to side step.
But they still want a new 400 person union staffed agency to try it.
You know, if people would just take a step back, forget about political parties, labels, and so on, and just read what this guy is saying, the Dems would completely collapse.
Generally, a tax is a price we all pay for the services rendered by the government, which directly or indirectly benefit us. When politicians were allowed to deviate from this, it opened the door to ideas for brazen, outright theft such as this.
Those CA democrats. Everyday they find another new way to drive taxpayers and businesses out of their state. Pretty soon the state will be made up of the democrat rulers, stupid nonworkers and illegals. Who will be left to tax?
FUBO, FAD, down with the democrat party
Yeah, they got the Internet tax through —Zappos and Amazon now add 10% California sales tax even though neither has a brick and mortar store in California.
Great while it lasted!!
Can all the conservative and non-gays please move out of that state so we can just go ahead and nuke it?...: )
The sad part is that the liberals are just not seeing (or maybe they choose not to see) how our government (especially our state) is never talking about cutting spending but always, always about ways to raise taxes.
Guess they have forgotten why our ancestors no longer wanted a monarchy, and left England.
When you’re a hammer every problem looks like a nail.
When you’re a Democrat every problem can be solved with a tax increase.
California businesses are already discovering that rules they have run their companies with for the past 4 years are now changed-—
RETR
OACTIVELY and the state of
Calif is demanding taxes for such 4 years back.
Imagine trying to make business decisions under the rules in front of you, only to have the rug snatched out from under you at a later date & you are taxed differently in the future-—and it is retroactive.
It is a complete disgrace.
I stopped buying from amazon. I still look there and I find what I like. Then I use one of the vendors who also sell that product. Look them up on google and shop direct from their website because they are from another state and they don’t have to charge the sales tax. : )
Arizona bullied Amazon also. Sure glad we have those low tax Republicans running things here.
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