Tennessee state income tax (sales, purchases, sales tax)

[fatbench]

Any of you think one day Tennessee will have a state income tax despite the fact that many of the Tennesseans oppose to it? We already have the highest sales tax in the states.

[alleycat]

Probably one day. Government, whether state or federal, hasn't slowed its appetite for tax revenues. In Tennessee there will probably be some sort of "crisis" and an income tax will sneak through. I don't think it's happen anytime soon. Even Bredesen is talking about cutting spending rather than raising taxes in the current budget talks.

Just an opinion.

[bbkaren]

Originally Posted by alleycat

...Even Bredesen is talking about cutting spending rather than raising taxes in the current budget talks...

Can I even tell you how weird that sounds to me, living in NJ?

Everytime I see something of that nature in my Roane County newspaper it boggles my mind too.

I mean...cut spending so the taxpayers don't have to pay more? How in the world could that possibly WORK?! lol

[2mares]

They tried it some years back, threatening that the state parks would have to be sold off to generate revenue.

[scarletneon]

Originally Posted by fatbench

We already have the highest sales tax in the states.

Have you been to Chicago lately?

(we don't, however, have such a ridiculous sales tax on groceries as Tenn. does, thankfully.)

bbkaren - you get the RCN? i worked there one summer.

[Trevor92]

Originally Posted by fatbench

Any of you think one day Tennessee will have a state income tax despite the fact that many of the Tennesseans oppose to it? We already have the highest sales tax in the states.

I had always heard, and I don't know the facts behind it, that the reason for the high sales tax was just because of the lack of an income tax as a way to generate revenue from everybody consuming products in Tennessee rather than just those that live there. But I've always heard that TN would never have an income tax without drastically cutting the sales tax. I do know a lot of people near me in NE Tennessee would cross the border into another state for large purchases, or even grocery shopping depending on how close they were to significantly decrease their tax load.

[jchometeam]

It will never happen. Last time they even talked about it, bricks were thrown through the capital building in Nashville and people were literally drug out because they wouldnt leave peacefully.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by jchometeam

It will never happen. Last time they even talked about it, bricks were thrown through the capital building in Nashville and people were literally drug out because they wouldnt leave peacefully.

Oh, never say never. I desperately hope you are right though!!!
Amazing on the bricks!!!

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by SmokyMtnGal

Oh, never say never. I desperately hope you are right though!!!
Amazing on the bricks!!!

I don't think any bricks were actually thrown through the windows, although one window was knocked out when they was a large crowd there one night.

It was mostly horn-honking . . . which annoyed some of the state employees by keeping them awake.

[fatbench]

Income tax is unconstitutional in Tennessee. But who knows, they might change the constitution some day.