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For What It's Worth

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States Seek Financial Help from 'Sinners'

date 06-30-2009 11:54 AM
author Anthony_Catalano writes:

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Amid rising unemployment and slowing consumer spending, state governments are struggling to fund the programs and services to which we've all grown accustomed. Everything from after-school activities to government-run tourist attractions are at risk. California's woes, in particular, have been well documented over the past several months.

The good news: Many states have found a way to plug these gaping budget holes. The bad news: Their solution is to do it the old-fashioned way (no, they aren't going to earn it like Smith Barney)… with tax hikes and even some creative new taxes altogether.

	Keep up with the For What It's Worth blog. Follow us on Twitter.

	Plus, for business news and personal-finance updates, follow Comcast.net Finance on Twitter.

Lisa Scherzer of SmartMoney.com recently took a look at the initiatives on the table across the country. Some old standbys, such as sales-tax hikes and higher vehicle-registration fees, are joined on states' wish lists by a slew of new so-called "sin" taxes on items such as tobacco and wine.

A couple of states are getting especially creative with the latter, and hitting their residents where it truly hurts. According to Scherzer:

"Massachusetts is proposing a tax on satellite television service and Georgia lawmakers are proposing a 'pole tax' that would charge gentlemen’s club patrons $5 at the door."

Wondering what to expect in your neck of the woods? For a closer look at what several states have in store, check out the full article at SmartMoney.com: "6 States Hitting Residents With Big Tax Hikes."

Have new or higher taxes in your state put a strain on your family budget? Are you bracing for more hikes? Share your stories.

Message Edited by Anthony_Catalano on 06-30-2009 12:57 PM

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Re: States Seek Financial Help from 'Sinners'

comment number 10
date 07-01-2009 07:20 AM
author race28 writes:

body theothersarah said to make cigarettes so expensive people quit - don't you know they tried something like that before and it didn't work? Was called prohabition. People will just find someway or someplace else to get what they want. Not only the black market but all the robberies that are now being committed for cigarettes or money to buy them. Store clerks getting shot or people getting mugged & shot on the street. Making something too expensive has the same effect as making it illegal. Look at the illegal drug situation and how well that has worked. It's been 38 years - talk about beating a dead horse! Look at the kids and how they just keep finding new drugs to take - even plants. Human behavior can not be regulated and shouldn't be. Why should we all live according to one set of peoples definition of right? Where does this stop? When weight limits are tied to taxes? Height requirements? Fingernail lengths? America is the land of the free as long as you make enough money to pay for your freedoms.

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Re: States Seek Financial Help from 'Sinners'

comment number 11
date 07-01-2009 07:22 AM
author Phantera writes:

body People will never give up "sin." It's in our nature. But let's say they do? Do you realize the economic loss? Here's an example: Tobacco farmers out of work, tobacco company employees out of work, distributors out of work, truck drivers out of work, convenience/grocery store employees out of work. All those people out of work are not putting money INTO the economy - they are sucking it OUT via unemployment, food stamps, and housing assistance, etc. Small businesses fold = loss of revenue (sales) taxes. If they tax the cigarettes more and people don't buy them, then they lose that revenue as well. Go ahead and tax the vices.......

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Re: States Seek Financial Help from 'Sinners'

comment number 12
date 07-01-2009 07:23 AM
author tdh1 writes:

body In order to get gov't spending under control we must attack the root cause...THE GOVERNMENT! They do not pay into social security. They have a plan of a super cushy retirement program. Most get more than 75% of their salary and ZERO co pay health insurance. That is over $7,000.00 per month! for each one of them!! forever!! The spouse collects in the event of death! You finance this! First make them pay into social security and medicare and collect that just like we do. The social security system would be fixed in 24 hours and budget problems solved. I do not support any increase in taxes of any kind untill I see all those who caused this out of office or stand up and FIX IT!! At retirement you will be lucky to get 1,200. a month and almost no health care coverage! After paying into it for 30 or 40 + years. SAD AT BEST!!

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Re: States Seek Financial Help from 'Sinners'

comment number 13
date 07-01-2009 08:22 AM
author Little-Blue writes:

body I still live in Seattle and if you smoke cigarettes you are paying almost $2.00 a pack above the original cost on them. So a pack of cigs are up to about $6.95 each pack depending on the county. We go to the Indian Reservations to buy cigarettes and everytime we do, all the people in our community who smoke ask us to buy them a carton. I quit last April and am glad I quit. It wasn't easy. My husband still smokes, but he smokes way less than he used to. BTW there is a black market for cigs just like drugs, people rip off large cig trucks and sell the cartons for about 1/4 of the government price. I don't like crime but I agree that if the government makes taxes so high that people stop going to the corner store, it will be just like prohibition which most of us know did not work. Unless you are an Al Capone, or Whitey Bulger, the chances of regular people getting rich off of prohibiton is limited. I think prostitution and pot should be legal and the taxes on those two "sin's" could pay for health care without a doubt. Both prostitution and pot have been around since the beginning of recorded time and people aren''t going to stop going to see prostitutes nor are they going to quit spliffing on the pipe. I am so sick of people who bury their respectable heads in the sand and then go out and pay for _______. These are the same people who are in church and PTA and seem like the ordinary person. I think anyone who is a consenting adult should be allowed to be a prostitute or visit houses of prostitution if that's what they choose to do. I have never seen a person who is at home smoking a bowl beat his wife or kids, and I know alot of so called respectable people who smoke bud. Other countries laugh at us because we act like we would never allow prostitution then all of a sudden there's another Governor who has a mistress in Brazil. Who cares? As long as he pays back what he spent on her, it doesn't make him a bad governor. Maybe they should all have someone on the side to be with when they are stressed out. We pretend like we are outraged, then go buy a $40 sack and call a girl or look for one on the blade to pay for sex with. The blade is what the downtown area of Seattle has been dubbed, and it has been called that for many years. Legalize Prostitution and Pot. Problems solved!

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Re: States Seek Financial Help from 'Sinners'

comment number 14
date 07-01-2009 11:43 AM
author theothersarah writes:

body For goodness sake, I'm the last person who would want more government! (I didn't vote Democrat!)

But... the fact is that lots of people voted for universal healthcare, yet that doesn't come without a huge pricetag and big government ! So, they are talking about taxing the people who are working to pay for their insurance benefits, so they can insure people who aren't working to pay for their benfits!!! Now something really stinks about that! That tax could make healthcare for those employees who already pay high rates totally unaffordable for both the emoployer and the employee...a brain damaged idea for sure!

So, since the leading healthrisk factors are related to "sinfull" indulgences like booz, cigarets and unhealthy diets, it only makes sence to tax the products that are causing most of the problems with ill-health in this country. Just think of how many illnesses and procedures are realted to cancer, diabetes, liver disease, heart conditions and obesity; it becomes obvious that taxing "sinful" over-indulgeance by putting higher taxes on booz, cigarets and poor nutrtion foods makes a whole lot of horse-sence! It's easy enough to avoid paying the tax...don't buy the products that put you at risk.

As far as "sex sin tax" goes.... I'd love to think of a way to tax the kind of sex that causes millions of unwanted pregnancies and abortions of innocent babies, and tons of STD's. Got any idea?

And yep, I'm scandinavian!

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Re: States Seek Financial Help from 'Sinners'

comment number 15
date 07-05-2009 10:36 AM
author GrimmReaper writes:

body FLEM.... Slight correction but something I have posted many times in the best few months...!

The 'book' is Animal Farm by Orwell and the 'movie' version "1984" as applied to humans...

Taxation 'WITH' representation is not working and has not worked during my sixty-eight years on the planet..

The 'SMOKING SIN" taxes have been around for ever (Fed's in Civil War days and I believe Iowa was the first state to enact this 'excise tax' in the 20's..?)..

In reality, the taxation of tobacco products was very lucrative up until the early 70's as, 70% of us old folks smoked and it was socially correct..!! Alcohol, well, it is still up there at ~90% and remains the clean & accepted habit.. If you want money, "TAX" the c**p" out of alcohol..

With respect to health issues and associated costs, including second-hand smoke issues, the population of this country that believes the numbers the government and BS the .org's spew out, just lemmings.... We already know what the salary levels of our Congress are and the Staff members.. Look-up the .org folks salaries and then look-up their Form 1099's... Not to mention the 6-7 digit expense allowances..

But when all is said and done, this great country will collapse unless the nation comes together and the next Tea Party happens..!

Having held responsibility running two divisions of a fortune 100 company, if I used the government guidelines, we would have filed for bankruptcy after one year..?

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Re: States Seek Financial Help from 'Sinners'

comment number 16
date 07-05-2009 10:57 AM
author dangitgirl1 writes:

body Yep, that is exactly what the government needs to do, tell everyone what they think is good for them or not!! I don't tell you what you should do, you don't tell me what I should do, last time I checked we live in america, not in a dictatorship country, or is that what people such as yourself want??? Oh, try spell check next time, cigarettes is the correct spelling

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Re: States Seek Financial Help from 'Sinners'

comment number 17
date 07-05-2009 12:31 PM
author dltbo writes:

body lets tax all the politician,who banter back and forth for years wasting time and money , trying to figure out what they want to tax --

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Re: States Seek Financial Help from 'Sinners'

comment number 18
date 07-05-2009 01:29 PM
author suavestdevil writes:

body Tax the churches for perpetrating lies, fantasies and undocumented and unproven dreams. Tax them on their land, lavish buildings, atrocious incomes and for the use of our services to steal from the people that cannot think for themselves.

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Re: States Seek Financial Help from 'Sinners'

comment number 19
date 07-05-2009 03:17 PM
author LedStitchZeppeli writes:

body I agree....mostly. But lets put this into perspective. Capitol Records went out of bussiness because they did not keep up with the times. They refused to give in to the changing times. If in fact Tobacco companies went out of bussiness due to the changing economy, do you think that Tobacco Farmers would throw in the towel, or plant different crops. Do Truck drivers transporting Tobacco products only have to haul tobacco? I'm sure ditributers of tobbacco can use thier prowess to distribute other products. Capitalism in America is not limited to the market share of what it is you do right now. Its fairly fluid, and can make changes if companies are willing to change with the times. Tobbacco companies would be the only loser here. The people would move on and ply thier trade elsewere....without the tobbacco. Sure our past is pockmarked with failed compaines...some a hundred years old. However, the people moved on and created new ventures by which to make money.
This is a major problem only if you imagine that things will not change. The trick is to learn what else you can do by using what you have already learned.

Can this fix the financial crises for which we are currently in? Who knows, but don't you think we should try?

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