46.
SALES TAXES: Most
states now have some level of Sales Tax on purchases. Sales taxes started in
the 1930’s in America, of such a small amount, that the people wouldn’t
complain about the tax.
How much in what state? http://www.taxadmin.org/FTA/rate/sales.html
Just search Google for “sales tax” and see what a
hodgepodge of taxes enacted on citizens.
Note: I disapprove of all Sales Taxes. We have paid Income
taxes as we earn our money, and what right has our government to charge us a
tax on anything we buy, what is the government doing for us because we have to
buy many things that are essential to living
During
the 1930’s an idea came up, lets charge a very small sales tax on purchases
that would be used to support our schools for the children. Now many area’s of
America claim we have the Lottery to fund extra money for the schools. SEE it’s
always a new tax to help the Children, and you fall for it. After all, it’s for
the Children.
Originally the sales tax (about 1933) was only one cent per
dollar, tokens were used to pay sales tax on less than one-dollar purchases,
and so they issued tax tokens in Mills, 10 Mills to the cent. 1000 Mills to the
dollar, these tokens made change for taxes on purchases for less that $1. This
was to help support the schools during the depression.
How could you complain when
it was “for the Children”?
How many of you remember sales tax tokens?
When WW II started,
the tax was raised over, and over, “For the War Effort”, they explained that the employees were making so much
money, that overtaxing us kept us from reckless spending, and our
government wanted to keep us from getting too rich, so they raised taxes to
“protect” us from inflation.
How could we complain about
that? America was at “WAR”.
When WW II ended, the governments saw more, and more, easy money
to add more needed items to be financed by sales taxes, claiming it was a fair
way that all citizens paid an equal amount.
By increasing the tax at ½ to one cent at a time that makes it
seem insignificant so the taxpayer would not complain about the amount. That
sounds great until you compare what percentage of the wealth of the citizens
paying that tax. The poor pay a way larger percentage of their income for items
that are taxed. This is not fair.
In Los Angeles County we pay
10½%, one cent of that is to support 50cent bus fares in town, that 50cent bus
fare ended years ago, but not the tax. I have constantly asked my State
senator, and assembly woman, (his wife) for an accounting of what each bit of
sales tax is specified for, but of course no answer as below.
I’ve been demanding from our taxing authorities to state openly
exactly what each part of a cent in sales tax, supports. I have tried to find
this out in California, and the tax authorities ignore my request, “the
reason”? Yeah, why? They don’t want it to be public knowledge what the taxes
once added on a “temporary basis” are still in effect, never repealed. The
authorities just figure once you’re use to paying the tax you won’t question
how much, or why. After all THEY
really need your money. They are starting to tax labor now, so you pay $80 to
have something repaired, and they will add, 8 to 10% tax on that. NO WAY.
In some states, even groceries are taxed, this is criminal to
our citizens. The necessities of life should not be taxed. Food, Medicine, and
what is needed to earn an income, should not be taxed.
The very rich, drive company cars, and all their travel expenses
are tax-free. The wage earner should also be able to deduct those costs of “(getting
to, and from work)”, and deductible from your income taxes regardless of
whether you itemize, or not. In all too many cases this cost is a major expense
to the wage earner.
Having to eat meals at work,
whether a sack lunch, or at a (reasonable expense) restaurant should also be
deductible, say not to exceed 5% of your yearly income. Since you cannot be at
home to eat for much less money. Businesses for years have been able to deduct
this expense, so should the average wage earner. If you earn for example $100/
day, that would be $5 per workday, not out of line, but of some help. $5
doesn’t buy much lunch anymore even at that.
State politicians are constantly trying to make citizens pay
Sales Taxes on out of state purchases; I will aggressively fight the
implication of this extension of taxation to you. The purchaser has already had
to pay extra for shipping that negates the so-called financial break they claim
the purchaser has received, or the item is not available in your state.
I also want to end the Sales Tax on any used item. Once the
original Sales Tax has been collected on that item, it should not continue to
be re-taxed for each resale.
In many states Sales Tax is also charged on meals eaten in
restaurants, this is also wrong. Many people “have” to eat away from home; they
should not be penalized for this. The citizens is already having to pay more
that the actual cost of the food, adding sales tax to that is a disgrace.