The bill, HB1240, passed 43-27 and now goes back to the Senate, which earlier defeated a different version of the bill by one vote.
I think this bill will either fail in the Senate or be veto’d by Rounds. What do you think?
The elimination of the Food Tax will go to a vote today, I hope it passes, but I have a feeling too many Republicans will block it and it won’t even make it to the Governor’s desk. The bill is very simple, it removes the food on most grocery items and replaces the lost revenue with a .5% increase on everything else. What do you think?
HB1188 – a bill which dramatically impacts citizens’ ability to bring about state constitutional change by petitioning for a statewide vote has narrowly passed the House YEAS 39, NAYS 27, has been heard once in the Senate and is up before Senate State Affairs on Wednesday.
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I think this bill will pass and be signed. If there is one thing our legislators hate more than anything is having citizens the right to petition. Every year they pass more laws limiting petition drives. They hate it when they are proven wrong about legislation, time and time again. What do you think?
It’ll be killed in the senate. There’s anothr petition drive for you to start.
Which one?
” removes the food on most grocery items and replaces the lost revenue with a .5% increase on everything else.”
Grocery items without the food are just items.. aren’t they?
snark!
The smoking ban. Hopefully, we’ll still be able to petition for it when they’re done with playing congressman.
I think you are right. I think the Senate or Governor’s office will piss it down their legs like every other good legislation.
I like the smoking ban, but think the idea to repeal the food tax is idiotic.
Ok I get it….it is ‘unfair’ to tax food because it is a necessity, but so is shelter and I’m still paying property taxes. Electricity and natural gas or propane are pretty darn necessary, but they are still taxed as is water and sewer.
Clothes are generally considered a necessity as well, but even Goodwill charges sales tax.
One could even argue transportation is a necessity these days, and everything from the vehicle itself, to the gasoline, to the tires, and even the little pine tree air freshener hanging from the rear view is taxed, so where do you draw the line?
I realize not everyone who qualifies uses the sales tax rebate program, but the truth is it exists for those willing to do the legwork to get a refund. If people aren’t willing to put forth effort to get their food tax money back, then I don’t have much sympathy for them.
For the vast majority of the population who doesn’t qualify for a rebate on their food sales tax, a repeal of this sales tax would just shift the burden to something else, and in turn would like cost many local businesses to lose revenue to other states or the Internet even more than they already do.
No thanks….just leave things alone.
I would be okay with a food tax if everything was taxed at the same rate (4%) I just think it is unfair to pay a higher tax rate on a necessity than a toy like a boat, motorcycle or RV.
I can get behind that, although the difference would only be 1%, so on a new $20,000 Harley the difference is a whopping $200.
I suppose the Billion family would lobby against it, but in the scope of things a 1% increase wouldn’t really impact much.
The only thing I might disagree with you on would be taxing EVERYTHING at the same rate. I must admit I’m pretty happy with that additional tax on cigarettes, and I wouldn’t want that to drop down to only 4%.
Of course sin taxes would be exempt, I agree.