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Pretty sure that the prepared food tax in NYS goes back to the 70s. Seems like I remember it being called the "Hotdog Tax" back when it started.
I researched this and you are correct, NY did not have any sales tax on prepared food before the 70's and only a few years before that had no sales tax on ANYTHING. NY got along just fine before the 70's so why do we need sales tax now?
They need to stop charging taxes on prepared food period. With the economy the way it is and the rising food prices it is just not fair to charge taxes on someone getting some food on their lunch hour when they live 30 minutes from home and can't drive home to make some "tax free" food.
You could "brown bag" it and save all kinds of money.
You could "brown bag" it and save all kinds of money.
Not all workplaces have fridges or microwaves. Not to mention the social aspect. Eating your lunch alone at home or work is not good for your mental health. People are much happier if they can go to a restaurant and eat lunch in a social atmosphere. People did this alot more before food sales tax. Think about it, in the 50's 60's and early 70's people were happier and more social and then in the 80's when food sales tax when in to full effect, they all became greedy yuppies. People are becoming more isolated and lonely and food sales tax makes it less likely people will go out and that only contributes to more loneliness and isolation.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tar21
Not all workplaces have fridges or microwaves. Not to mention the social aspect. Eating your lunch alone at home or work is not good for your mental health. People are much happier if they can go to a restaurant and eat lunch in a social atmosphere. People did this alot more before food sales tax. Think about it, in the 50's 60's and early 70's people were happier and more social and then in the 80's when food sales tax when in to full effect, they all became greedy yuppies. People are becoming more isolated and lonely and food sales tax makes it less likely people will go out and that only contributes to more loneliness and isolation.
I won't argue the lack of fridge/microwave but I would find it odd they seem to be everywhere. I choose to brown bag 4 days a week and use a freezer can in my lunch box in case I am away from my office and have my lunch with me. Your perspective on what makes people happy with eating is probably just your preference.
I think in retrospect looking at prior decades they may appear happier but they had their own issues which weighted on them far more than the imposition of the meals tax. Although the tax is one of many that NY burdens it's citizens with I don't think it will be the end of civilization or socialization as we know it. We recently voted to add a meals tax and it started last year. The money collection is used for school construction projects and a percentage is paid back to the businesses that collected it to cover the additional admin expenses. All eatery's are full and no one even thinks about it.
Huh? My family is an "excuse?" Things other than tax rates being more important when deciding where to live is an "excuse?" You make no sense.
Quote:
Since you conveniently named Democrats but ignored recent Republican pols who have actually been convicted of crimes like ex-Senate leader Joe Bruno, my guess is that you're simply another Republican who's upset that your fellow NYers don't buy into the NYS GOP's reactionary social policies and its completely unrealistic economic proposals. Maybe if the Republicans didn't nominate buffoons like Carl Paladino and Right Wing social conservatives like Rob Astorino and had a real agenda rather than trumpeting the repeal of marriage equality and automatic gun bans, they might win some state-wide elections.
Ahh... now I see.
Your guess is wrong. But thanks for playing.
Cuomo is the current governor. Silver was recently arrested. Bruno is very old news. Your point might have made some sense if you mentioned Skelos instead. Of course, I actively campaigned against Skelos, so your guess solidly misses the mark.
Skelos, Cuomo and Silver are the "three men in a room" who effectively control NY with their backroom deals. All three should be in jail. They might have already been if Cuomo didn't disband the Moreland commission as they were about to follow the trail of corruption to his office.
I am not sure why you belive "marriage equality" has something to do with the state of taxation in New York - which is what was being discussed in this thread.
Nor do you realize that no one in either party is proposing any kind of repeal of automatic weapons bans. You probably also fail to realize that automatic weapons are tightly restricted at the federal level and are virtually impossible (and extremely expensive) for regular people to own. There is no challenge to New York's own restrictions which are in addition to the Federal laws.
It seems you are as uninformed on these topics as you are on New York's voting laws (based on your completely erroneous claim to a post I made in another thread). And this is why we have such rampant over-taxation in New York... an uninformed voting base which does not understand the issues. Don't fall for the soundbites dished out by the biased talking heads on TV. The truth is not that hard to find, it just takes a little more than believing everything you hear on MSNBC.
Not all workplaces have fridges or microwaves. Not to mention the social aspect. Eating your lunch alone at home or work is not good for your mental health. People are much happier if they can go to a restaurant and eat lunch in a social atmosphere. People did this alot more before food sales tax. Think about it, in the 50's 60's and early 70's people were happier and more social and then in the 80's when food sales tax when in to full effect, they all became greedy yuppies. People are becoming more isolated and lonely and food sales tax makes it less likely people will go out and that only contributes to more loneliness and isolation.
The social aspect and "brown-bagging it" are not mutually exclusive.
I worked for many years in Manhattan. Tax is the least of the cost concerns. Any kind of prepared food is very expensive compared to bringing in your own.
Library steps, the many parks... there are many options for eating in a "social" situation. We did it all the time. Many of my co-workers also brought lunch (or bought prepared food) and we all ate together. Outside on the nice days, together in an office or break room on not-so-nice days.
I still maintain that NYers are overtaxed. However, the tax on prepared food is much smaller than the difference between buying and making it yourself. You make a ham & cheese sandwich for $2, it costs you $6 to buy the same thing in a deli. If the $.50 tax (roughly 8%) is a concern, why not be concerned about the $4 (300%).
If you are eating out, the difference is even worse. Plus you have the 20% gratuity for the waiter/waitress.
Eating out/buying prepared food has always been a much more expensive proposition than bagging it. I disagree with your premise that the tax changed people's behavior in the regard. While I don't have stats to back it up, I assert that a majority of workers do not go to sit down lunches at work (barring a company cafeteria) and that this has always been the case. It is just too expensive for most people to eat at a restaurant every day.
The social aspect and "brown-bagging it" are not mutually exclusive.
I worked for many years in Manhattan. Tax is the least of the cost concerns. Any kind of prepared food is very expensive compared to bringing in your own.
Library steps, the many parks... there are many options for eating in a "social" situation. We did it all the time. Many of my co-workers also brought lunch (or bought prepared food) and we all ate together. Outside on the nice days, together in an office or break room on not-so-nice days.
I still maintain that NYers are overtaxed. However, the tax on prepared food is much smaller than the difference between buying and making it yourself. You make a ham & cheese sandwich for $2, it costs you $6 to buy the same thing in a deli. If the $.50 tax (roughly 8%) is a concern, why not be concerned about the $4 (300%).
If you are eating out, the difference is even worse. Plus you have the 20% gratuity for the waiter/waitress.
Eating out/buying prepared food has always been a much more expensive proposition than bagging it. I disagree with your premise that the tax changed people's behavior in the regard. While I don't have stats to back it up, I assert that a majority of workers do not go to sit down lunches at work (barring a company cafeteria) and that this has always been the case. It is just too expensive for most people to eat at a restaurant every day.
You live in NYC, upstate it is to cold to go sit on the steps and eat your lunch, and if you did you would do it alone. Everyone I know goes to a low cost restaurant like subway, burger king, pizza joint ect. Like I said, just to get a sandwhich I was charged almost a dollar in sales tax.
I think it is ridiculous that NY or any state would charge sales tax on prepared food. I got a small cold sub sandwich for lunch the other day for 5.99 and with tax it was 6.47! This is ridiculous. NY is basically stealing our money. It is like a mobster style shakedown. Food is expensive enough without the government stealing more of our money. They need to get rid of this practice.
I think it's ridiculous that there is tax on anything. Whether it's a piece of furniture made and sold or food, how is it right to take from people. Taxation is theft pure and simple. People should pay for the services they use and demand and not for what they don't want.
You live in NYC, upstate it is to cold to go sit on the steps and eat your lunch, and if you did you would do it alone. Everyone I know goes to a low cost restaurant like subway, burger king, pizza joint ect. Like I said, just to get a sandwhich I was charged almost a dollar in sales tax.
Not just NYC - I have experienced this in all of downstate (and seen it in plenty of other area). No one eats outside in the winter (or the rain)... that's not just an upstate thing. At most, the northern part of the state has an extra month or two of weather where you wouldn't be eating outside.
Where you are, people eat out every day? Wow, that's very expensive.
I'm the first one to complain about any taxes - sales tax included. However, the additional cost of eating out every day is far more than the sales tax. Bring your own will save you much more than the dollar.
I have run a business for many years with many different configurations of office space.. I have travelled to many different companies both large and small all over the country. Not once have I seen an operation without some sort of "break" room/area where employees could eat their lunch.
If your company doesn't have any place like that, and the area provides no indoor or outdoor options, that sucks. Maybe the employees could get together and request management create an area. With the savings on lunch, it would effectively provide employees with a raise (more take home pay through savings) with minimal expense for the company. Win-Win.
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