(5/18/09) Senate proposes alcohol, soda tax to fund Health care plan (Politico)

[VotingHillary]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22675.html

Smokers and diet-soda drinkers would escape higher taxes under a new proposal for how to pay for President Barack Obama’s sweeping health reform overhaul.

But if you drink alcohol or sugary drinks, you might have to pay up under a plan released Monday by the Senate Finance Committee.

The committee proposed slapping an excise tax on “sugar-sweetened beverages” for the first time, and imposing a uniform tax across wine, beer and liquor, which are currently taxed a different levels.

Wealthy individuals or workers with expensive health plans may have to pay taxes on their employer-provided insurance for the first time. Health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts could also lose some of their tax benefits.

These options were among dozens of recommendations put forth by the committee ahead of a private meeting Wednesday where senators will discuss how to fund a health care fix that could exceed $1 trillion over 10 years.

More:

The Distilled Spirits Council said a higher alcohol tax would be a “prescription for disaster for the hard-hit hospitality sector.”

“Forcing hundreds of thousands of waiters, waitresses, bartenders and busboys into the unemployment line is not the way to reform our nation’s healthcare system,” the Council said in a statement.

Beer and wine would face the largest increase. Per ounce of alcohol, liquor is now the highest-taxed form of alcohol. The committee proposed boosting the current tax rate, and applying the same rate to all alcohol, although small wineries and breweries would receiving some exemptions.

More:

Sugar-sweetened beverages under the proposal would include a variety of carbonated and uncarbonated beverages, such as non-diet soft drinks, fruit and vegetable drinks, functional drinks such as energy and sports drinks, iced teas and iced coffees, and flavored milk and dairy drinks,” the committee paper states. “The tax would not apply to beverages sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners.”

Hey, here's a thought. Why not tax the hell out of luxury cars, SUVs, yachts, fur coats, etc...you know, the stuff RICH folks buy instead of pounding the hell out of the items lower and "middle class" (does such a thing even exist anymore?) buy the most? :atwitsend:

[Tybee]

Or....have a fair tax or flat tax, where EVERYONE in this country, legal and illegal, pays up. (and have a way to return some of the tax to the really poor) This would bring in way more money in taxes than all this "pick an evil" crap. Why pick out certain items, or certain income brackets? IT'S NOT EVIL TO HAVE MONEY!!

[Laura Cereta]

Sugar-sweetened beverages under the proposal would include a variety of carbonated and uncarbonated beverages, such as non-diet soft drinks, fruit and vegetable drinks, functional drinks such as energy and sports drinks, iced teas and iced coffees, and flavored milk and dairy drinks,” the committee paper states.


WTF?!? They're going to tax V8 and gatorade to pay for health insurance? :rolleyes: Dems will sell this by saying how much better it will be to discourage people, epsecially kids, from drinking soda. Maybe they can tax candy bars next! And then chips! And then...

The federal government is f'ing ridiculous. Period. :atwitsend::atwitsend::atwitsend:

[hobbitt]

:


Hey, here's a thought. Why not tax the hell out of luxury cars, SUVs, yachts, fur coats, etc...you know, the stuff RICH folks buy instead of pounding the hell out of the items lower and "middle class" (does such a thing even exist anymore?) buy the most?

Or $540 Lanvin "Food Bank" sneakers. Or thousand dollar "gardening" t-shirts.

Or $170 million dollar inauguration parties.

But go ahead and tax beer, cigarettes, chocolate milk and iced tea.

But not, of course, arugula.

[VotingHillary]

But not, of course, arugula.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

[Jobu86]

WTF?!? They're going to tax V8 and gatorade to pay for health insurance? :rolleyes: Dems will sell this by saying how much better it will be to discourage people, epsecially kids, from drinking soda. Maybe they can tax candy bars next! And then chips! And then...

The federal government is f'ing ridiculous. Period. :atwitsend::atwitsend::atwitsend:

V8 isn't sugar sweetened so I assume it isn't included. I think they're talking about stuff like "ocean spray grape beverage" which is like 5% juice and lots of sugar. Though that's just what I took from it, not sure.

[Meg]

V8 isn't sugar sweetened so I assume it isn't included. I think they're talking about stuff like "ocean spray grape beverage" which is like 5% juice and lots of sugar. Though that's just what I took from it, not sure.

For you.

Sugar-sweetened beverages under the proposal would include a variety of carbonated and uncarbonated beverages, such as non-diet soft drinks, fruit and vegetable drinks, functional drinks such as energy and sports drinks, iced teas and iced coffees, and flavored milk and dairy drinks,” the committee paper states. “The tax would not apply to beverages sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners.”

[VotingHillary]

Senate considers bill to tax the air you breathe.

Says Senator Liberal Lobbyist-Controlled, "too many Americans are breathing in air and exhaling carbon-dioxide which is harmful to the environment." The bill under consideration allows for tax-free breathing at one breath for every five minutes. The tax rate will increase based upon the amount of breathing you do over that limit. The House and Senate are currently battling over the exemption for those with emphysema based on whether they are smokers or non-smokers. Congressman Conservative in the Pocket of the Tobacco Lobby states, "We must protect the smokers as they contribute so much more to the tax base than non-smokers with emphysema."

White House Press Secretary Bullshit at all Costs had no comment.

More at 11...unless you switched over to another repeat episode of Seinfeld.

:D

[Laura Cereta]

Senate considers bill to tax the air you breathe.

Says Senator Liberal Lobbyist-Controlled, "too many Americans are breathing in air and exhaling carbon-dioxide which is harmful to the environment." The bill under consideration allows for tax-free breathing at one breath for every five minutes. The tax rate will increase based upon the amount of breathing you do over that limit. The House and Senate are currently battling over the exemption for those with emphysema based on whether they are smokers or non-smokers. Congressman Conservative in the Pocket of the Tobacco Lobby states, "We must protect the smokers as they contribute so much more to the tax base than non-smokers with emphysema."

White House Press Secretary Bullshit at all Costs had no comment.

More at 11...unless you switched over to another repeat episode of Seinfeld.


:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Maybe I should stop laughing. This will probably be an actual bill by next year. :rolleyes:

[Jobu86]

For you.

I didn't take that to mean ALL of each of those, but I could be reading it wrong.

[Brooke]

The soda tax is ridiculous. Even Bill said so.

[lanney]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/us/19smoke.html?_r=2&hp
Cigarette butt tax in San FranciscoThe proposal, to be introduced next month to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, would add 33 cents to the cost of a pack of cigarettes, to offset the estimated $10.7 million the city spends annually removing discarded butts from gutters, drainpipes and sidewalks.

The added cost, Mr. Newsom hopes, will also dampen smokers’ urge to light up.


I hope he tax people who pee in public parks in San Francisco. Fine will be punishment, liberals never punish people, so tax them and show your compassion. :D

[sojourner]

Hey, here's a thought. Why not tax the hell out of luxury cars, SUVs, yachts, fur coats, etc...you know, the stuff RICH folks buy instead of pounding the hell out of the items lower and "middle class" (does such a thing even exist anymore?) buy the most? :atwitsend:

The problem is that it is very hard to come up with a tax that doesn’t in the end hurt the little guy. They tried putting a high tax on yachts and the results were that demand went down and yacht builders had to lay off workers.

[Tybee]

The problem is that it is very hard to come up with a tax that doesn’t in the end hurt the little guy. They tried putting a high tax on yachts and the results were that demand went down and yacht builders had to lay off workers.


The problem is that obviously Obama and his bunch are so short-sighted that they're incapable of seeing the long term affects that all these (too numerous to count now) taxes will do to everyone. And, where's all these jobs we keep hearing about?? It's all BS.

[Laura Cereta]

The problem is that obviously Obama and his bunch are so short-sighted that they're incapable of seeing the long term affects that all these (too numerous to count now) taxes will do to everyone. And, where's all these jobs we keep hearing about?? It's all BS.

genericstamp!

[lanney]

When people will drink less soda, It means less tax collection. how they will fund union jobs or liberal free doles? Then they will go for something else to tax.

[Lealy]

When people will drink less soda, It means less tax collection. how they will fund union jobs or liberal free doles? Then they will go for something else to tax.

The same thing that will happen to SCHIP when people like me quit smoking or start going to some street dealer. It will run out of money and they will have to tax something else the current administration feels its base will be ok with. Now it will be a much needed nutrient for life CO2 and sugar when the Repubs get in it will be abortions and having affairs outside of marrage. Sounds dumb but so did this entire situation 20 years ago.

Someone has to pay, to pick this group or that group is in the end going to defund the program. I drink Pepsi I am not overweight it is the only thing I drink, while the lady down the street drinks diet Coke is big as a house. I am so sick of someone else deciding how I should live my life. You can't regulate or tax what you decide is bad behavior because the next guy won't like yours. The problem is people were so busy trying to tell smokers how to live their lives they did not realize it just opened the door to their own. What makes me laugh is those that want to legalize pot so in places like California where you cant light up in your own home in some cities. I can see it now the police saying let me see what you are smoking there if it is a ciggy you are under arrest "Oh, its just a joint no problem".:atwitsend:

[trooper]

Is anyone else sick and tired of the spending and taxing that is going on. How much more are we all going to have to give or to use Obama's words sacrifice. It seems to me the ordinary guy is the one doing all of that. I personally can't wait until 2010 to start voting these guys out.

[VotingHillary]

Is anyone else sick and tired of the spending and taxing that is going on. How much more are we all going to have to give or to use Obama's words sacrifice. It seems to me the ordinary guy is the one doing all of that. I personally can't wait until 2010 to start voting these guys out.

What next? Taxing masturbation?

[Merrick98]

Oh a new study came out artifical sugur may be worse in the long term to ur health so thats a no go why dont they keep a dollar from every taxreturn bam theres ur money or something we all use in debate we would tax the toliet paper sure theres badays but to know ur dry u wipe

[Lealy]

Oh a new study came out artifical sugur may be worse in the long term to ur health so thats a no go why dont they keep a dollar from every taxreturn bam theres ur money or something we all use in debate we would tax the toliet paper sure theres badays but to know ur dry u wipe

Taxing TP would discriminate against women since they must wipe more and of course little boys who cant get enough TP on any given day.

Hey, I got idea how about we stop and really go through our budget how about we stop pandering to special interest and get the crooks out. Then instead of taxes some smart person would be able to figure out that they have way more than they need for all the programs they want and they give us back our money so we can spur the economy to growth again.

[lanney]

Taxing TP would discriminate against women since they must wipe more and of course little boys who cant get enough TP on any given day.
.

Why California liberals/environmentalist are not chasing TP? They should promote wet toilet.

[Merrick98]

Women go to thd doctor more for women checkups then men and when and if ur pg then again more resources are used for women.

[WASTRIC]

I know!! Lets tax medical care to pay for health insurance. That way the people who are using it will be taxed at the rate they use it. ;-)

[Lealy]

Women go to thd doctor more for women checkups then men and when and if ur pg then again more resources are used for women.

But when women finally get their men to go to the doctor its when it is really bad and the average weighs out. (I know from experience)

I was just kidding by the way.

[Classical Liberal]

We tried taxing yachts I know back in the 1990s, and it almost killed the domestic yacht industry. Not a good thing.