Barfo, Have you ever met a tax you didn't like? This is a scheme to add sales tax to income tax. They might promise to lower income tax in return, but they will ramp those up over time.
Oh Denny, you misunderstand me so. Let's reverse the situation. Would you be in favor of California eliminating their sales tax and raising their income tax by enough to collect the equivalent amount of revenue? Why or why not? barfo
Why would we want a sales tax? Make adjustments to the income tax system we already have. I don't want income, sales and property tax. If they were to drop property tax, then I'd be more open to it if the %'s are similar
Also, it's idiotic to bring up sales tax time and time again. Isn't it strongly opposed by voters every time it's on the ballot? Why waste time talking about and making plans for something no one wants
A little different because a lot of people are voting for republicans. And what does that have to do with anything? Stupid response.
We do have a sales tax. A very high one. And we have a very high income tax, too. That's the future of Oregon if they allow a sales tax. Just like the federal income tax started out as a 2% tax on only the very rich. It's blown so far out of its original intent and the government hooked on spending that it'll never be what was promised.
There's still prepared food tax and hotel tax and shit like that though, tolls on the highways, basically "tourist" taxes that take more from NH residents than they do from tourists
You still didn't answer my question. It's not a trap. I'm just curious what form of taxation (assuming for the moment there has to be taxation at all) you prefer, and why. barfo
Sales tax is fine. It's based upon consumption. If there's going to be one, you want to completely eliminate the income tax and codify that in the constitution (state or federal) by amendment. Otherwise you will get what you want - tax beyond what people can bear.
I'd be totally fine with that, personally. In fact I'd be fine with a sales tax only - no income, no property tax. But it looks like the proposal will be to cut the income tax top rate down from 11 to 6%, and add a 5% sales tax. I'm suppose I'm on the wrong side of this issue for a liberal - the proposed reform will make the rich richer and the poor poorer. barfo
Wouldn't it be possible, if not even reasonable, to codify in a tie between the sales and income tax rates? For instance, mandate that the sum total of the sales tax and median income tax rate never exceed (say) 11%, and write it into the state constitution to require an amendment to ever have it increased. As BP postulated, is it not possible to enact safeguards to help prevent abuse of the system?
That is possible, of course. I'd argue, however, that most of the abuse of the system has actually come at the hand of the voters, not the legislature: 1) sales tax defeats 2) the kicker law 3) measure 5 4) measure 47 Those things (and maybe more that I'm not thinking of right now) are the primary reasons we have the crazy-ass tax system we have today. barfo
