Was convincing people to be happy about increasing taxes or levying new ones. And Joe Sullivan at the Metropulse buys it; hook, line and sinker.

Mr. Sullivan uses every trick in the happy to pay taxes handbook, including referring to Bredesen’s cuts as draconian, that the state will be losing more than $1.2 billion in sales taxes , and the threat to higher education in particular.

First of all, the only thing draconian is the huge bloated toad that is Tennessee’s government. Second, it is irresponsible and misleading to state that revenue that has never been earned is a loss. Finally, the problem with our government is spending, not revenue.

Of course, a bigger concern is the Constitutional issue. As Bill Hobbs states: the Commerce Clause of the federal constitution . . . prohibits states from levying taxes outside their borders.

In addition, Mr. Hobbs tells us that with e-commerce amounting to less than 5 percent of total retail sales, it is increasingly clear that online sales taxes will not be the budgetary savior that states, ever eager to spend more money, are hoping for.

In summary: The proposal is illegal and it will not save the bloated toad.

Posted in uncategorized on February 27th, 2003 by SayUncle | RSS 2.0 |