Obama's Christmas Tax

[Arbo]

President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.

http://blog.heritage.org/2011/11/08/obama-couldnt-wait-his-new-christmas-tree-tax/

Figures.:BangHead:

 

[Arbo]

Mod- thanks for moving this.

 

[Salty]

Are you really going to believe that. BO promised NO tax increases on the middle class....

 

[targus]

Since we all know that taxing something decreases that particular activity...

I am guessing that this is really an attempt to reduce the number of trees cut down for use as Christmas trees thus in the liberal mind helping to save us from global warming.

 

[Arbo]

Since we all know that taxing something decreases that particular activity...

I am guessing that this is really an attempt to reduce the number of trees cut down for use as Christmas trees thus in the liberal mind helping to save us from global warming.

Or is it Muslim-motivated?

 

[targus]

Just reread the article.

It's not a "tax".

It's a "fee".

My guess is that this is a trial ballon.

Obama can't get taxes raised in Congress where all taxes are supposed to start and instead is planning on getting the money with "fees".

It probably will lead to a new 15% fee on millionaire and billionaire incomes.

 

[carpro]

Are you really going to believe that. BO promised NO tax increases on the middle class....

I wonder if this tax applies only to Christmas trees , but not "holiday" trees?:smilewinkgrin:

 

[North Carolina Tentmaker]

A great example of bad government. A tax we don't want for a program we don't need, none of which we get to vote on.

Acting Administrator Shipman had the temerity to say the 15-cent mandatory Christmas tree fee “is not a tax nor does it yield revenue for the Federal government” (76 CFR 69102). The Federal government mandates that the Christmas tree sellers pay the 15-cents per tree, whether they want to or not. The Federal government directs that the revenue generated by the 15-cent fee goes to the Board appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the Christmas tree program established by the Secretary of Agriculture. Mr. President, that’s a new 15-cent tax to pay for a Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.

And of course the presidential appointed secretary of agriculture gets a new slush fund to play with and reward those who he sees fit.

 

[mandym]

Are you really going to believe that. BO promised NO tax increases on the middle class....

He is not known for his honesty only his excuses.

 

[HeDied4U]

He is not known for his honesty only his excuses.

Ain't that the truth.

What "fee" will be imposed next? A fee on Christmas tree lights imposed by the Department of Energy?

I will be so glad when BO is taken out (of office) next November.

 

[HankD]

Since we all know that taxing something decreases that particular activity...

I am guessing that this is really an attempt to reduce the number of trees cut down for use as Christmas trees thus in the liberal mind helping to save us from global warming.

As I said in another post why not be fair to all and also put a tax on Hanukkah Menorahs or dreidels?

Lighting all those candles probably contributes to global warming.


HankD

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

Since we all know that taxing something decreases that particular activity...

I am guessing that this is really an attempt to reduce the number of trees cut down for use as Christmas trees thus in the liberal mind helping to save us from global warming.

You do realise the Christmas tree growers asked for this to
Start a campaign to promote real tree use?

 

[mandym]

You do realise the Christmas tree growers asked for this to
Start a campaign to promote real tree use?

I'm trying to figure out why you believe that matters.

 

[targus]

You do realise the Christmas tree growers asked for this to
Start a campaign to promote real tree use?

I have been trying to understand this.

Is there a Christmas Tree Growers Association of some sort?

If there isn't how was such a request made? A single grower or a couple of growers took it on themselves to ask that all growers be hit with a fee?

If there is an association do they have the right to ask the government to hit all growers with a fee even if they don't belong to the association?

If there is an association why don't they just do it themselves?

It strikes me sort of like Buffet asking the government to raise taxes on all the rich.

 

[Salty]

I have been trying to understand this.

Is there a Christmas Tree Growers Association of some sort?

If there isn't how was such a request made? A single grower or a couple of growers took it on themselves to ask that all growers be hit with a fee?

If there is an association do they have the right to ask the government to hit all growers with a fee even if they don't belong to the association?

If there is an association why don't they just do it themselves?

It strikes me sort of like Buffet asking the government to raise taxes on all the rich.

You have rasied some excellent questions.
Lets see if we can find some true answers

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

I have been trying to understand this.

Is there a Christmas Tree Growers Association of some sort?

If there isn't how was such a request made? A single grower or a couple of growers took it on themselves to ask that all growers be hit with a fee?

If there is an association do they have the right to ask the government to hit all growers with a fee even if they don't belong to the association?

If there is an association why don't they just do it themselves?

It strikes me sort of like Buffet asking the government to raise taxes on all the rich.

It was never argued that this was a good idea, only that it was not Obama's Christmas tax or his plan to destroy Christmas.

The article in the OP of the other thread does a decent job of explaining this.

The key and valid point is this

If there is an association why don't they just do it themselves?

This is an excellent point. That is how it should have been done, not getting Big Brother involved.

 

[targus]

This is an excellent point. That is how it should have been done, not getting Big Brother involved.

And no doubt they would have done it better and at less expense than the government.

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

And no doubt they would have done it better and at less expense than the government.

I don't understand why they wanted this to be a government plan. That is just crazy.

 

[targus]

I don't understand why they wanted this to be a government plan. That is just crazy.

I know someone who is an officer in a large archery equipment company. He told me that a few years ago his industry agreed to a percentage fee of gross sales which is collected by the federal government and is to be used to promote archery as a sport.

Every year his company pays the required fee but the government is doing literally nothing to promote archery.

Now he looks at it as just another cost of doing business which is passed on to customers.