Taxes are getting more blatant

Capt Worley PE · Mar 11, 2014

I've noticed this locoally, and somewhat nationally, but lately I've been noticing that the government is being very straightforwrd about doing things solely to generate revenue. Locally, it is things like attracting businesses over housing because 'the tax generated is higher per acre' or selling off public land to developers because 'the land didn't generate revenue.'

It seems to me that they've become awfully bold in announcing their focus has become on revenue generation above all else.

Is it just local, because we have some huge boneheads running the local municipalities and counties? Or has anyone else been noticing it too?

Dark Knight · Mar 11, 2014

^^^ Your perception is correct. Here in FL they are selling public land and even leasing some locations that are now under the State Parks umbrella. There is a lot of resistance but we all know money and corrupt politicians always trump common sense.

Supe · Mar 11, 2014

I now pay a city stormwater tax for a city I don't even live in.

engineergurl · Mar 11, 2014

The newest thing here seems to be the "meals tax" aka the restaurant tax. The doughnut shop across the street, had to get clarification on the law because if you get under a specific number of doughnuts they have to charge the tax, but if you get more then they don't. A lot of places aren't getting the concept and are voting it down, when they could have benefited between the exits off the interstate with restaurants as well as the surrounding area's lack of. I kind of felt for some of the areas, it was a good way to bring in tax revenue from the outside.

Capt Worley PE · Mar 11, 2014

engineergurl said:
The newest thing here seems to be the "meals tax" aka the restaurant tax. The doughnut shop across the street, had to get clarification on the law because if you get under a specific number of doughnuts they have to charge the tax, but if you get more then they don't. A lot of places aren't getting the concept and are voting it down, when they could have benefited between the exits off the interstate with restaurants as well as the surrounding area's lack of. I kind of felt for some of the areas, it was a good way to bring in tax revenue from the outside.

Our town played with the meal tax. I actually went to one of the public hearings and complained about it. I already don't eat across the river because they have a meal tax.

If it had gone to fund something useful, I may have been OK with it, but they wanted to buy those pretty traffic light arms at a cool one million per intersection and a fancy clock tower on a prominent street corner. Wires and Times work just fine.