I’m so proud. I already live in the state with the highest gasoline taxes in the nation and the highest toll rates in the nation. Now I find out my state of PA collects the most sin taxes in the nation. And my new governor doesn’t think we’re taxed nearly enough. He wants to double my income tax rates. Not to be outdone, the new communist mayor of Philly wants to inflict a sugar tax on the masses which will double the price of every beverage with sugar sold in Philly.
Don’t you love how these left wing politicians roll out gambling and taxes that inordinately hurt the poorest people the most. Poor people are much more likely to gamble, smoke and drink soda than rich people because they are dumb. Then they vote for the very same politicians who are screwing them. So it goes.
In total, states collected more than $32 billion by taxing tobacco-related purchases, alcohol consumption and gambling in 2014.
“As political pressure mounts to keep income and property taxes low, state legislatures have often turned to sin taxes to generate more revenue,” writes HowMuch.net’s Rebecca Lawrence. She said states have raised taxes on tobacco products 111 times between 2000 to 2015.
Wyoming registered the lowest 2014 tax tally at $26 million, with almost all of it from tobacco. As a result, you can barely see it on the map.
When it comes to alcohol, Texas is the only state to generate more than $1 billion in taxes. In fact, that number dwarfs the $452 million reaped by Florida in the second spot.
I read where Montgomery County (DC area by memory, all Democraps) raised property tax around 10% so as to use the extra money to fund closing the education performance gap between whites/Asians and blacks/Hispanics.
Fuck me. There is a 10 to 15 IQ point difference between those groups. There is no closing that fucking educational gap.
But, hey, there will be more Union drone teachers to try it anyway.
I will say this …. and I will probably get reamed for it …. but those sin taxes CAN be very effective in changing behavior for the better.
Look at that NJ tobacco tax. It’s eight fucking dollars and change for a pack of smokes!! It’s one of the bigger reasons why I quit about 6 years ago.
Stuck – so can a cattle prod. The real problem is there is no end to it. What will they ban next? What won’t they ban? Who gave them the fucking right?
From the ‘rain tax’ to the ‘flush tax’: 40 times Martin OMalley raised taxes
By JASON RUSSELL • 5/30/15 12:01 AM
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/from-the-rain-tax-to-the-flush-tax-40-times-martin-omalley-raised-taxes/article/2565266
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will launch his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination Saturday in Baltimore. During the forthcoming campaign, it will be impossible for O’Malley to escape his past as a fiscal liberal who made higher taxes rain over Maryland.
Maryland was hit by 40 tax hikes costing $9.5 billion during O’Malley’s eight years in office, from 2007-14. Tax-weary Marylanders made Republican Larry Hogan governor in 2014, bucking O’Malley’s lieutenant governor, Anthony Brown, who was the Democratic candidate. Less-patient Marylanders voted with their feet and simply fled the state: Almost 72,000 people left Maryland from mid-2007 to mid-2014, according to Census Bureau data.
O’Malley didn’t hit just the rich with his tax hikes; everyone from Ocean City to Cumberland felt the pain. The state sales tax rose to 6 percent and was applied to an increasing number of items. On the campaign trail, O’Malley may come to regret his infamous “rain tax,” which imposed a fee on property owners due to storm water management efforts. Birth and death certificate fees doubled, taking more money from Marylanders on both ends of their life.
Here is a comprehensive list of the tax and fee hikes O’Malley signed into law as governor of Maryland:
Handgun licensing fees and other firearm registration fees
• Electricity rate increase due to higher expense of power produced by offshore wind farm
• Vehicle registration surcharge (Transportation package)
• Maryland Transit Authority fare increase (Transportation package)
• Indexing gas tax to increase with the consumer price index (Transportation package)
• Applying wholesale tax to gasoline sales (Transportation package)
• Income tax increase on Marylanders earning more than $100,000
• Reduction of personal income exemption for Marylanders earning more than $100,000
• Recordation tax applied to indemnity mortgages
• Increase tobacco tax rate from 15 to 70 percent for certain products
• Double death certificate fee
• Repeal of the sales tax exemption on penalty charges assessed on the late return of gas cylinders
• Double Bay Restoration fee (“Flush tax”)
• Require counties to collect Storm Water Management Fee (“Rain tax”)
• Increase Weights and Measures Registration fee
• Double Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund Fee
• New fee for major modifications under the Wetland Water Way Program
• Hospital assessment
• Alcoholic beverage sales tax increase from 6 to 9 percent
• Vehicle dealer processing charge
• Double vanity plate fee
• Double vehicle certificate of title fee
• Out of State Attorney Admission fee
• Increase in contractor licensing and renewal fees
• Double birth certificate fee
• Eliminates exemption of premium tax on worker’s compensation
• Bridge and tunnel toll increases
• Fishing license and registration fees
• Speed cameras in school and work zones
• Increase the top marginal tax rate from 5.5 to 6.25 percent (“Millionaire’s tax”), since expired
• Computer services tax
• New income tax marginal rates from 4.75 to 5.5 percent
• Increase sales tax from 5 to 6 percent
• Increase state corporate income tax from 7 to 8.25 percent
• Increase cigarette tax from $1 to $2 per pack
• Increase vehicle titling tax from $23 to $25
• Vehicle excise tax increase
• Electronic gambling tip jar tax
• Real property transfer tax
• Elimination of Captive Real Estate Investment Trusts
Llpoh
I totally agree with you. The government getting involved in all these aspects of our lives is totally insane. But, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. OK, that’s dumb. My point stands … for ME the sin tax caused me to finally stop those nasty cigs, and that’s a good thing.
Damn Stucky, I’ve been hanging out here too long. I do recall you being a smoker back then IIRC. It’s been 14+ years for me. I forget how much a carton of Marlboro or Winstons were when I quit but when I started they were right about $4 in the military commissary I think they were well over 10 times that much when I quit.
Cigs are headed to $1 EACH here and rising. I never smoked – I was always too cheap and beer was better value! Beer is over $2 a piece – store bought – here. Oz really knows how to tax sin.
” … but when I started they were right about $4 in the military commissary ..” ———- IS
I’m older than you, my friend. When I was in …. a pack of Winstons was … TWENTY FIVE CENTS!! Fuck, at those prices, one is almost obligated to smoke!
all those things are basically stupid destructive habits but the govt trying to regulate and tax them is evil.
i get that it can change peoples’ behavior, potentially for the better but what happens if the tax revenue they are used to getting from sin taxes actually gets people to stop purchasing those things?
they will move onto other things and eventually we’ll be taxed simply for breathing.
a perfect example is the govt mandating improved gas mileage and then what actually happens, gas tax revenue decreases so they scream foul and want vehicle monitors that will tax us per mile.
The good thing about sin taxes is that they’re regressive. Also, the illegals can’t avoid them – unless they want to buy their smokes in South Carolina and their booze in Wyoming.
They will take their revenue where they find it. When the revenue stream dries up on cigarettes they will tax something else.
A friend just paid $300 for a Florida tag for his $500 truck but he’ll get even with the Communist SOBs because it is a 4 cyl 5 speed which gets 30 MPG.