In America, we tax productivity (Income Tax), savings (Estate & Gift Tax) and investments (Capital Gains Tax). We finance addictive consumption (cigarettes, alcohol, junk foods, gambling and pornography). The addictive consumer freeloads off the U.S. Taxpayer while major corporations make exorbitant profits. Who wrote these rules?
California (which is now bankrupt) spends $15 billion per year in tobacco-related costs. How many billions of dollars per year do U.S. Taxpayers spend each year to finance the costs from addictive consumption for cigarettes, alcohol, junk foods, gambling and pornography?
Instead of promoting America's 21st century priorities by using tax credits (e.g., health care, green energy, the environment or national infrastructure), American leaders incomprehensibly allow one hundred billion per year in taxes to not be paid on vast amounts of unreported income hidden in offshore tax havens. Why?
Instead of promoting telecommuting via the internet (according to USA Today, by the year 2010, 100 million Americans will telecommute), we as a nation succumb to our addiction for oil (most notably demonstrated by the Republican Convention's mantra "Drill, Baby, Drill"). If global warming is truly destroying our planet (which I believe), if oil prices are exorbitant and bankrupting our citizens, why not implement a two-day per week telecommuting for covered employees for Federal, State and Local Governments and major institutions? Telecommuting could greatly reduce commuter traffic (and the price of gas), pollution, global warming, traffic accidents, fatalities, infrastructure deterioration, while allowing families to spend more time together in a less stressful lifestyle.
America, are you listening?
Consider an employee of a New York company who lives in Connecticut and telecommutes two days a week to save on gas. New York will tax him both on the income he earns when he works in New York and on the income he earns when he works in Connecticut. Because Connecticut will also tax the income he earns in Connecticut, the telecommuter must pay state taxes twice on the same wages.
The threat of an extra tax bill from New York deters people from telecommuting.
Proposed federal legislation called the Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act would eliminate the double tax threat, prohibiting states from taxing the income nonresidents earn when they work from home.
Telework is a necessary option for individuals struggling to manage commute expenses. It is necessary for older Americans nearing retirement who must now continue working because of lost retirement savings but cannot continue to make a daily commute. It is also necessary for businesses aiming to save on real estate and energy costs, recruit well-qualified employees located outside the company’s area, retain valued employees, increase productivity and/or assure business continuity in the event of emergencies or major disruptions.
To enable America to maximize telework’s many benefits, Congress must enact the Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act.
First you ask why we pay for addictive activities. As a drinker and a sometime smoker I don’t think I like you’re holier than thou attitude there. You seem to be promoting some kind of Health related morality lesson here. We do have what you would call Sin taxes. They tax Booze, Tobacco and Gambling; they then spend this money on things like education. Except when it comes to things like Gambling taxes, schools still get the same amount of money just like they did before the new taxes. You see these new taxes free up the money previously spent on Schools to go back into the General Fund. So we have a new tax that does little real good. If I felt the states would actually spend new taxes wisely I would be all for it but they don’t and they won’t.
Next you bring up Tax credits and the rich hiding their money. I agree that this simply shows that trickle down does not work. When people get stupid rich they simply sent the money out into the world to make more money or squirrel it away offshore so they don’t have to pay taxes. This should be illegal.
Lastly you speak about Telecommuting, again I agree with you. Some positions in the government could be done from home. And when the government sets the precedent perhaps the rest of us could join the 21st century?
Wish you would explain what you mean by "We finance addictive consumption."