[MacTheRiverRat]

Someone else wants in my pocketbook. If one state does it and gets away with it other Infidels are sure to follow.
http://tinyurl.com/4ckxgb

[Laminar]

Calling it an "iPod tax" is media sensationalism. "iTunes tax" would be closer to accurate, but it seems to be more of an entertainment or junk food tax.

[Maflynn]

Yeah, I saw this on msnbc I think. Its just not itunes, but every digital download. All I can say is I'm happy I don't live in NY since they're looking to tax every aspect of life to fill the gap.

[CorpITGuy]

"No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity" is sounding truer and truer by the day.

[Big Mac]

Yeah, it's a great idea to punish the few highly successful multi-nationals left in the country.

[Zeeb]

Yes, the proposed taxes are very sad. The big punch is that a one month metrocard is shooting up to $104 per month. I couldn't believe the itunes tax, that's a slap in the face.

[turtle777]

This country is taking a bad turn.

All those bailouts have to be paid for.

It's either gonna be by inflation (i.e. printing money), or higher taxes, or a combination of both.
Say goodbye to your last known standards of living.

-t

[ghporter]

This is hardly appropriate in the iPod/iPhone forum...buckle your seat belts; we're headed for the Lounge!

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

This is hardly appropriate in the iPod/iPhone forum...buckle your seat belts; we're headed for the Lounge!

Update: buckle your seat belts; we're headed for the PWL

-t

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Update: buckle your seat belts; we're headed for the PWL

-t

Not quite yet, but that's a possibility. All depends on whether people can stay civil or not...

[RAILhead]

Surely you jest!

[OldManMac]

Don't call him Shirley, and yes, this country is headed to the crapper.

[ghporter]

I hope. I always hope.

[osiris]

This idiotic idea is from my resident state, NY. I apologize sincerely.

Along with this tax is also a proposed tax on non diet soda, movies, taxis, beer, wine, massages, and a 23% increase in subway fares (with cuts in service as part of the deal). Except for the subway & taxis, this stuff is already taxed.

edit: also a return of tax on clothes, an increase of tax on cable, satellite and internet services.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/..._new_york.html

[LegendaryPinkOx]

(evil) Empire State

fixed

[shifuimam]

"Maybe we should have thought about this when we were depending on what we thought was inexhaustive collections of taxes from Wall Street — and now those taxes have fallen off a cliff."

Perhaps he shouldn't have based so much of his city's budget on such a volatile source of tax dollars..

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Perhaps he shouldn't have based so much of his city's budget on such a volatile source of tax dollars..

Not just NYC-this is the governor suggesting these taxes for all of New York State. That a LOT of people...

[ThinkInsane]

Gee Dave, that's a great idea. Businesses are being run out of upstate left and right due to the egregious taxes in this state, and now you are going to implement new taxes? This on top of the new property tax increase you suggested last week, as well as eliminating the STAR program that many elderly people on fixed incomes depend on to keep their homes? How about fixing the problems in state government and get the hell out of my wallet. Goddam you Spitzer and your inability to keep your junk in your pants.

[ctt1wbw]

Originally Posted by CorpITGuy 

"No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity" is sounding truer and truer by the day.

Another Rush Limbaugh fan, right?

[Maflynn]

Many states and cities are looking to increase taxes. Its crazy, we all have less money and now they want to take what little we do have

[OldManMac]

We all want something for nothing, don't we though?

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by ctt1wbw 

Another Rush Limbaugh fan, right?

I think he was quoting Ronald Regan, not Rush... The truth is that in our own country, taxed to take advantage of prosperity have worked much better than taxes in the absence of prosperity. The simple math is that when people and companies make more money, they can afford higher taxes, and when they make less, higher taxes reduce spendable income. Politics and ideology aside, the statement has merit.

Taxing the life blood out of a population is a good way to decrease that population. Hey, New Yorkers: here in Texas we don't have a state income tax, nor any of those other, egregious taxes. 'Course we also don't have a huge number of the social programs existent in NY, either.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by OldManMac 

We all want something for nothing, don't we though?

Sure - only a fool would pay for nothing.

[SpaceMonkey]

It would be better to figure out a way to consistently apply sales tax to online purchases at the point of sale.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by osiris 

Sure - only a fool would pay for nothing.

You are correct. Most taxpayers are fools.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

You are correct. Most taxpayers are fools.

Most, voters, too.

What a coincidence.

-t

[CRASH HARDDRIVE]

I'm amazed the state morons here in California didn't think of it first. It wouldn't be called an iPod or whatever "tax" though... just a "fee".

[OldManMac]

Yet we buy gaudy clothes with the manufacturer's name on them, and pay top dollar to advertise their product for them, made in Sri Lanka no less, because we have to be "cool."

[MacTheRiverRat]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Most, voters, too.

What a coincidence.

-t

Both parties are screwed! One is just as bad as the other. I remember an old saying that a politician will shake your hand, kiss your baby, have one hand in your pocket and one up your wifes dress. All at the same time.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by MacTheRiverRat 

Both parties are screwed! One is just as bad as the other. I remember an old saying that a politician will shake your hand, kiss your baby, have one hand in your pocket and one up your wifes dress. All at the same time.

Note to self: keep both hands in your pocket while shaking politician's hands.

-t

[CRASH HARDDRIVE]

Originally Posted by OldManMac 

Yet we buy gaudy clothes with the manufacturer's name on them, and pay top dollar to advertise their product for them, made in Sri Lanka no less, because we have to be "cool."

Beats buying gaudy clothes with some political hack's face all over it (made in Sri Lanka no less) and paying top dollar to walk around advertising for the very people that raid everyone's wallet in order to bail out themselves and their cronies. Because we have to have "change"... or something.

[MacTheRiverRat]

Originally Posted by CRASH HARDDRIVE 

Beats buying gaudy clothes with some political hack's face all over it (made in Sri Lanka no less)

You know the world has gone to hell in a hand basket when one buys clothes that were "Made in China" and China outsourced them from Sri Lanka.

[memento]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

...Hey, New Yorkers: here in Texas we don't have a state income tax, nor any of those other, egregious taxes. 'Course we also don't have a huge number of the social programs existent in NY, either.

Texas is looking better and better to me!

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Most, voters, too.

What a coincidence.

-t

How about 52.87% ?

[OldManMac]

Originally Posted by CorpITGuy 

"No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity" is sounding truer and truer by the day.

You obviously weren't around after WWII, and into the 1960s, when corporate taxes were much higher, and we built something called the Interstate Highway System, and the National Institutes of Health, and provided benefits such as the G I Bill for returning vets to get an education, and a whole host of other programs that improved our lot in life tremendously, where the average working American could even buy a house in a suburb (which was unheard of before the war), and buy a car, and go on vacations, and on and on. Today, after 30+ years of being fed the same old crap from corporations about how much more efficient they are (translate; send us your money instead and we'll use it pay our CEOs outrageous wages, while shitting on our workers by cutting benefits and making them work more hours for less pay), the gullible run around like parrots, mimicking what their overlords say, while they wonder how come they can't afford anything but Chinese (or Sri Lankan or whatever else any third world country makes) crap.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by OldManMac 

You obviously weren't around after WWII, and into the 1960s, when corporate taxes were much higher, and we built something called the Interstate Highway System, and the National Institutes of Health, and provided benefits such as the G I Bill for returning vets to get an education, and a whole host of other programs that improved our lot in life tremendously, where the average working American could even buy a house in a suburb (which was unheard of before the war), and buy a car, and go on vacations, and on and on.

You sort of nullified your "taxation into prosperity" argument here. Yes, corporate taxes were higher, but those corporations were the ones that BUILT the Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways (a defense-related system of roads that were also useful to civilians), thousands of hospitals, schools, bridges and so on. Even with fairly high (in our view) taxes, those companies raked in enormous profits.

The GI Bill poured billions of dollars into schools and a small part of that into GIs' pockets as a living expenses stipend. The reason Levitown and mass-produced housing blossomed was that it was necessary to employ and house hundreds of thousands of returning GIs, and applying mass production principles to home construction made houses cost far less than when they were individually built on plans that were unique to that house.

Post WWII, our economy benefited from the enormous buildup of our industrial capacity needed to win the war, and at that time, corporations had at least the appearance of being civic minded enough to realize that if they were making money hand over fist, that a fairly stiff corporate income tax rate was a reasonable price for their profits. Nobody worried about "maximizing investor return" then, because by simply acting like investments were for longer than three weeks, those investors made a pretty penny anyway. This allowed corporate growth and an increasingly high standard of living all around.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by OldManMac 

You obviously weren't around after WWII, and into the 1960s, when corporate taxes were much higher...

I'm not sure if you are trying to compare the post war years with our current situation.

Besides the buildout of the national infrastructure, the difference in the mentality of the people couldn't be different.

Back then, people were hard working, saving money, living below their means to afford something greater in the future.

Today, people acquired a "the world owes me" mentality ("I'd like five ponies, please."), they are spending more than they take home and don't save, living well above their means.

-t