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Old 06-16-2012, 12:26 AM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,161,539 times
Reputation: 6424

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I don't normally get too wound up about Illinois politics because I've watched it for too many years. I am definitely against unfairness. The latest scheme is just too much. The governor's office says he isn't going to increase taxes. But there is a caveat. Rather than say raise the grocery tax one penny per dollar across the board it is not considered because it would be too unpopular. Instead, certain groups are being targeted one by one.

Wine and cigarettes were already taxed once. The new $1 per pack cigarette tax begins next Sunday. If that isn't insult enough there is a proposed tax of 5% on Dish owners. This is on top of the 15% tax + a hefty city tax on Smartphones.

The boys in the playpen in Springfield seem to think residents have deep pockets and it okay to pick ours while they take an annual raise. If the state is going to burden the residents with layoffs and ceasing needed services to handicap children and seniors then they should share the pain and not personally profit from it. The state pension covers more than teachers. A few call themselves State Senators and State Representatives.
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Old 06-16-2012, 07:38 AM
 
28,455 posts, read 85,095,738 times
Reputation: 18726
I really have mixed feelings on "targeted" taxes. In a perfect world where every decision is made with ration though and consequences are thought through logically the fairest taxes tend to be broadcasted and uniform. That is reason our legislators do have a flat income tax. It mostly works but the ability to also grab some revenue through sales tax and "sin taxes" also is too tempting for our "spend all you can all the time" legislators. The "hurt" that sales taxes put on people with modest incomes is pretty painful. Some sin taxes probably do shape people's behavior, and for things that have societal costs (like liquor and tobacco) the argument of those taxes collecting going toward some of costs may have mad sense but the reliance of government spenders on those taxes is not good -- when revenue from cigarette taxes is spent not on healthcare but general needs the government tends to need to "promote" the very sins just to keep revenue from falling...

Entertainment / communication taxes (which surely satellite TV falls under) are designed to tap into the folks with "disposable incomes" not so much becuase there is any "societal cost" or even any legitimate regulatory overhead but simply becuase legislators have no desire to cut spending. Pretty indefensible... Yeah, I get that the alternative is to raise sales taxes, and those hit folks "life essentials" but if the legislators are so pathetic that there is NOTHING they can cut well maybe EVERYBODY should feel "the pain". By not having taxes hit uniformly / broadly what the legislators do is target voters -- it is calculation that really comes down to: instead of doing the honest thing and taxing everyone I will spare people most likely to vote me out. Very cynical and self interested and ultimately corrupt. Unfortunately the "architect" of these schemes is Speaker Madigan and the folks in his legislative district are unlikely to be ticked off enough to dump him over a satellite tax...
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Old 06-16-2012, 02:36 PM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,161,539 times
Reputation: 6424
Satellite is not necessarily disposable income when cable is more costly for a washed out picture and far less channels. As long as politicians are driven by corporate greed it will continue. It they talk about a $5 tax on cable because it is also disposable income -Chicagoans would have a fit, but since satellite is often rural where there is little or no choice it is much easier to target.

Taxes on cigarettes for health care is a hollow argument because it is not the sole reason people have lung issues - which is a subject for another debate in another time. I am not advocating smoking is good, but neither is being exposed to wood smoke, or mold spores, or unheated icy cold air, and a few other items that irritate lungs. .
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Old 06-19-2012, 01:47 PM
 
Location: Illinois
562 posts, read 985,155 times
Reputation: 446
Illinois taxes us like mad and where does the money go? Into their pockets, of course!
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Old 06-20-2012, 04:15 AM
 
Location: Chicago, IL SouthWest Suburbs
3,522 posts, read 6,080,798 times
Reputation: 6130
Interesting this has been brought up about the cigarettes , I am not sure what its like down south of here but
I visited a store near the Indiana border and I was very curious as to how the cigarette tax would effect this particular business owner.

The question was asked and he answered the best he could.

The store presently has cigarettes that he claims are lower than in Indiana or comparable.

He indicated the manufactures simply lower the cost of MOST cigarettes to offset the loss of a segment of customers.

Is this true? IDK
If I were a smoker anymore (gave up almost 8 years ago now , I could follow and tell you.

one can also argue how much a brand is willing to discount.
Bottom line he told me the cigarettes would cost an extra 5 bucks a carton than in Indiana
he said that would not be enough $$ for him to lose business over the state line.
How much of this is true is beyond me or even if its factual.

I was not aware of a smart phone tax but would like to hear more about this measure.
I believe they already put in misc fees and such how much more is this going to add on my bill.

The only solace I have with the tax issue is its not isolated to Illinois its everywhere in everystate in almost every city.
You cant escape the taxes
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Old 06-20-2012, 12:58 PM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,161,539 times
Reputation: 6424
NY, FL, CA, TX, IL have the 5 highest smartphone taxes in the nation. Every seat of City government can tack on a transmission tax on these phones too. When I dropped the $100 smartphone and went back to old my flip phone I instantly lost the $25 monthly recurring value added tax I was paying to use a tower 2 miles from my house. It is not worth $400 a year for the novelty of watching a movie or a football game on any phone. I bought the phone as it is the only virtual keyboard easy for low visions users to see and use. That reason alone cost me an extra $55 per month. An automatic forced cost of $30 for services I did use plus the taxes. The Smartphone for me personally is a bigger money pit than a sailboat.

The "I Won't Raise Taxes Governor" from Chicago raised the state income tax to a flat 5%. Then came 15% on the cell phones, $1 per pack on cigarettes, plus X dollars on gasoline, liquor, and landline fees. Now comes another $1 tax on cigarettes. In all probability I will pay an additional $5 tax because cable sucks where I live and it is very expensive.




I have 9mo left on a contract phone i can barely see to dial.
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Old 06-23-2012, 03:39 AM
 
Location: Hawaii-Puna District
3,752 posts, read 11,475,940 times
Reputation: 2481
That is not a "smartphone tax". You were paying for a data plan - so you could download data.

Cable does not have a "washed out picture". Most cable plans offer digital cable, if not HD (high def) plans. I am currently more in the middle of nowhere than you (2500 miles from San Diego) and our cable is all digital. Great picture.
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Old 06-23-2012, 09:54 AM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,161,539 times
Reputation: 6424
I disagree. You live in Hawaii. I live in rural Illinois. Rural in Illinois is where you drive 50 miles to shop in more than one grocery store. In Oaklahoma it was 125 miles.

And yes there is a smart phone tax in addition to the Data Plan. My iPhone plan with taxes was $100 the first month. Thereafter a city tax of $9 + a additional state tax of $15 was added. The city lost $39 because I dropped the city sewer/garbage at the same time I ditched my smartphone. .

Cable is a re-broadcast satellite signal. I do not pretend to understand cable transmission lines or how the various head-ins are connected to delivers its signal 50 miles from the main office. I do know what it looks like at the end of the line. It is a weak signal.

I paid a $125 for the VOIP/cable/Internet bundle. Now I pay $90 for the copper/Internet bundle and satellite. And the Internet is not only 5x faster, it is very reliable -- which is more than I can say for the cable company.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mdand3boys View Post
That is not a "smartphone tax". You were paying for a data plan - so you could download data.

Cable does not have a "washed out picture". Most cable plans offer digital cable, if not HD (high def) plans. I am currently more in the middle of nowhere than you (2500 miles from San Diego) and our cable is all digital. Great picture.
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Old 06-23-2012, 11:39 AM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,161,539 times
Reputation: 6424
Gasoline is one of my pet peeves too. Missouri imposed a 10% profit on gasoline. I asked one of the owners who advertised it. He showed me his invoices. I asked how he made enough to live?. He said he sold everything from Anheiser Busch to worms, hooks and rods.

Illinois has no such cap. Gas retailers can sell whatever the market will tolerate. In rural America a $.02 saving per gallon is not worth a 20 mile drive - not even for 30 gallons. Our cost is $.22 more per gallon than in Springfield which was $3.24 Thursday -- even though we have two national gasoline retailers in town. The question becomes is it worth it to drive 100 miles to save $6.60? Only if I have a reason other than gasoline.

I remember the gasoline wars in Peoria when I paid $0.18 per gallon.




Quote:
Originally Posted by sunnyandcloudydays View Post
Interesting this has been brought up about the cigarettes , I am not sure what its like down south of here but
I visited a store near the Indiana border and I was very curious as to how the cigarette tax would effect this particular business owner.

The question was asked and he answered the best he could.

The store presently has cigarettes that he claims are lower than in Indiana or comparable.

He indicated the manufactures simply lower the cost of MOST cigarettes to offset the loss of a segment of customers.

Is this true? IDK
If I were a smoker anymore (gave up almost 8 years ago now , I could follow and tell you.

one can also argue how much a brand is willing to discount.
Bottom line he told me the cigarettes would cost an extra 5 bucks a carton than in Indiana
he said that would not be enough $$ for him to lose business over the state line.
How much of this is true is beyond me or even if its factual.

I was not aware of a smart phone tax but would like to hear more about this measure.
I believe they already put in misc fees and such how much more is this going to add on my bill.

The only solace I have with the tax issue is its not isolated to Illinois its everywhere in everystate in almost every city.
You cant escape the taxes
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Old 06-24-2012, 03:19 PM
 
Location: Chicago, IL SouthWest Suburbs
3,522 posts, read 6,080,798 times
Reputation: 6130
That is a pretty low price for gasoline

Gas just irks the heck out of me but I will roll with it.
It literally is a necessary evil that I have to live with if I wish to put food on the table and maybe eek out a living.

Same as the smart phone , I will roll with it (need it for work and it actually is a benefit , besides I can write the expense off at the end of the year!)

Works for me.
Kid you not I have a t mobile contract two lines pay about 35 a line plus tax for me and my wife.
Its a freaking steal.

Unlimited data , text the whole nine yards
they have me locked in for two years but no complaints as I was paying about 100 with sprint.

then I went to boost and that was okay for a pay go phone . really not that much difference.

The smart phones are incredible and I see that market share growing so much in the next few years and I am sure our legislators will be grabbing our wallets and purses
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