Nevada Assembly GOP leader: Consider tax on food

[alp227]

Source: Associated Press

Voters should be asked to impose a statewide sales tax on food to help fill a swelling budget deficit, the Republican minority leader in the Nevada Assembly suggested Monday.

"I believe that we should have had a 2 percent sales tax on food on the ballot this fall," Assemblyman Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, said on KRNV-TV's Nevada Newsmakers.

Tax on food not intended for immediate consumption is banned by the Nevada Constitution. Amending the constitution requires passage by voters in two successive general elections.

Nevada is facing a projected $3 billion deficit for the two-year budget cycle that begins July 1.

Read more: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/aug/23/nv-assembly-gop-leader-consider-tax-on-food/

---

What? A Republican who wants to RAISE taxes during a recession and the rise of the anti-tax Tea Party?

But wait, have you heard of 90% tax rates under Eisenhower?

[PDJane]

1. Of course,

It's a tax that will hit the poorest the hardest. Naturally.

[Ken Burch]

3. Why should the peasants enjoy a luxury like eating?

They're getting notions above their station.

:sarcasm:

[DJ13]

2. What? A Republican who wants to RAISE taxes

Of course, since it would hurt the lower classes the most.

[Politicalboi]

4. So let's see

We impose police state, and it scares tourism and now we need money. Oh let's put a tax on the luxury of food. Genius.

[customerserviceguy]

7. Nevada's a police state?

Maybe you have it confused with Arizona.

[newspeak]

26. I believe he's talking about after 9/11

when security was beefed up and we got the TSA--some who are rude and crude. Tourism did drop. However, I must say that the TSA in Las Vegas are pretty decent. I've had to fly out of Las Vegas numerous times and most were very polite. Maybe it's because we depend on tourism.

The economy is a major factor now. And, I believe they've overbuilt when the casino owners should have waited. I mean, I could tell in 2008 we were going into a major downturn, but some casino owners just kept on expanding.

[diane in sf]

5. no, let's tax the upper 1/10 of 1% out of existence

[JDPriestly]

11. You certainly couldn't raise any money by increasing taxes on the lower 1/10 of 1%.

[LiberalFighter]

6. They don't get enough revenue from the Las Vegas tourists?

Maybe they should raise the taxes on the casinos.

[enlightenment]

9. They should - but like the mining industry the casinos have

too much clout.

[enlightenment]

8. Anything to avoid raising the taxes on the mining industry,

which is so protected - both by the state constitution and tax loopholes - that it is not uncommon for a mining company to pay no taxes . . . there have even been times when the state owed them money instead.

It is absolutely obscene that an industry that takes in billions pays pennies and gets away with it.

From the Nevadans for Fair Mining Taxes website:

The mining industry sold $5.7 billion in minerals from Nevada in 2008, 95 percent of it in gold. The industry paid $40 million in net proceeds taxes to the state’s general fund – an effective tax rate of less than 1 percent. In contrast, the tax on baby formula sold in Clark County is nearly 8 percent.
http://site.nevadafairminingtax.org/Home.html

This year they used their money to create a never-ending series of hurdles to prevent an initiative onto the ballot that would have changed the law.

Bastards should be dropped head-first down their own mine-shafts.

[Jackpine Radical]

21. Bullion, not Babies!

Great slogan for the gold mining industry.

[bluestateguy]

10. Conservatives turn a deaf ear when it comes to taxes on lower income people

The only tax cuts that "count" in their book are sweeping tax cuts on the wealthy, so in their book Obama's Making work pay taxcut, and even the tax rebates in 2001 and 2008 somehow do not "count".

[Frisbee]

12. Have I mentioned today...

I hate f---ing republicans!

[unblock]

13. perfect! make this guy the poster child for republican tax policy!

obama has already cut taxes for 95% of all income tax payers!
now obama wants to cut taxes AGAIN for 90% of all income tax payers!

meanwhile, republicans want to RAISE taxes on 100% of ALL FOOD EATERS!

[enuegii]

14. I'm surprised that it took them this long to come up with this...

Alabama has been charging state sales tax on grocery items for years, along with among the highest tax rates in the country on alcohol. Even our republican governor Bob Riley made some noise wanting to do away with it (the tax on food items, anyway) a few years ago, claiming the practice was "unchristian." The PTB in the republican party and elsewhere shut him up pretty quick, though--gotta keep those property taxes low and of course the money for tax breaks for corporations has got to come from somewhere.

[Tess49]

16. Oklahoma taxes food at a state and city level. Combine the two

and it's 8.25 percent where I live. It adds up.

[femrap]

15. I was shocked

when I moved to Missouri and they taxed food!

Of course I couldn't understand that Tampax was taxed in Ohio....because the law stated that 'essentials' were not taxed.

I hate Corporations and I detest Patriarchy.

I'm going to sleep now.

[SoapBox]

17. Sales tax on all food? wow...there is no end to the RushTurds trying to kill off the little people.

But by GOD, keep those Bush Tax Cuts for the top 2% of Americans.

[itsrobert]

18. I was surprised when they taxed a bag of Ice in California

I looked it up and apparently ice is a luxury.

[slackmaster]

19. Ice is not food

The cost of producing it in California is mostly from the energy to freeze the water.

A few states actually do charge sales tax on food.

http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales.pdf

[itsrobert]

20. So that's how they make ice

:sarcasm:

[newspeak]

22. We moved from California to Utah, hubby got transferred

Now Utah is a very, very repug state. I thought we would be saving money on taxes when we moved---wrong! Because a majority is repuke they have this logic that tax on food is fair because everyone has to pay it--who cares if you're poor and barely making ends meet. Now taxes on property or vehicle registrations, now that's not fair because only those who can afford it must pay. Our town was considered a tourist town, so the tax was higher-almost 8%, than the rest of the state. Everyone must eat and I found food tax the most unfair tax.

Of course, Utah also has a weird state income tax, that wound up being higher than California's at the time. And this is from the repug state that doesn't believe in taxes. Taxes on food adds up and Nevada income tax is about 8%--this is not a good deal when people are hurting, especially in Nevada. Our unemployment is about 14%.

Yeah, Eisenhower, a republican, had a tax rate of about 88% on the wealthy. I'm praying for Hades, because I hope that's where people like Reagan, are residing. "By their deeds you will know them"--these greedy, sociopaths have aided in the destruction of this country and a majority of its' people.

[joeglow3]

23. That 90% rate is garbage

Please don't cite this, as it is EASILY torn apart.

Taxes paid are a function of TWO components: tax rate and taxable income. In the past, the tax rate was upwards of 90%. However, you could deduct damn near anything, resulting in a exceptionally low taxable income for everyone.

When the tax code was redone in '86, the tax rates were dropped, but the number of items able to be deducted were slashed. The net result was about the same amount in taxes being paid.

Really, you need to question things before not only believing them, but passing them along.

[raccoon]

24. The Dumbass. SC just got rid of tax on food a few years ago. nt

[Roland99]

25. YART

Yet
Another
Regressive
Tax

[Odin2005]

27. Of course, they go after POOR PEOPLE, fuck them!

[Zoeisright]

28. God, I hate repukes. ALL of them.

They should just form their own country, called 'Backwardistan' and then they can kill each other off with hate.