The sputtering economy has caused an increase in prices of many staples including gasoline, rice, ice cream, even beer. Now some lawmakers in New Jersey are considering taking food taxes a step further and install a proverbial "sin" tax on fast food.
Of course it is all for your own good (or is it "for the children"?). Be that as it may, residents of the Garden State don't seem at all enthused about the idea:
"They're taxing everything. Now you're gonna tax fast food? That's crazy," said Newark resident Miriam Robertson.
Added Livingston resident Tina Abrahamian: "No one wants to be taxed. I mean, it's a necessity to eat and people need to eat and with everything skyrocketing, that's the last thing we want to tax."
I'm sure both Ms. Robertson and Ms. Abrahmian will be horribly disappointed if a Democrat manages to take the White House, because as I understand it, taxes aren't going down if they do.
But let's not lose sight of the truth they both present - "They tax everything" and "No one wants to be taxed".
Not that anyone in the NJ state government or the Federal government is really paying attention to these sentiments generally.
However, given the reaction from the potential tax payers, the state's response to this specific tax is to deny such a plan is in the offing:
A spokesperson for the governor, however, told CBS 2 on Wednesday:
"The governor is open to reasonable solutions to help solve our financing problems, but there are no plans for any fast food tax."
Apparently cutting spending to the level of revenue isn't among those ideas the state believes to be a "reasonable solution".
And then there are folks like Ms. Maureen Felix:
"I think this country has gone too much in the direction of fast and unhealthy food, and if people are taxed they may terminate that and turn toward more healthy foods," said West Orange resident Maureen Felix.
Yes the creature known as the "social engineer" still lurks among us and is usually the impetus for such sterling ideas as this one. Unfortunately that political genus is horribly over-represented in the state and federal legislatures for my taste.
"I think this country has gone too much in the direction of fast and unhealthy food, and if people are taxed they may terminate that and turn toward more healthy foods," said West Orange resident Maureen Felix.
Thus putting fast food places out of business, leaving the employees without jobs...
Without the buyers, those companies that sell the food/various stuff used by such restaraunts will either cut back on employees, or close as well, leaving even more people unemployed...
But let’s not lose sight of the truth they both present - "They tax everything" and "No one want to be taxed".
Not that anyone in the NJ state government or the Federal government is really paying attention to these sentiments generally
I have less than zero sympathy for them, seeing as these NJ residents who expressed that sentiment most likely will vote Dem, as they always do.
Why should anyone in the NJ govt pay attention to what the people say when they vote differently? Votes send a bigger message than soundbites on the news.
Not to mention the increase in demand for ’healthy’ AND relatively cheap alternatives which people will be trying to buy. And that’s going to do what to those prices kiddies?
And then there are the people who are totally unprepared to make their own food who will just have to bear the new tax burden (I recall being barely able to boil water at one point in my culinary history).
And what will ’junk’ food be? Will a burger & fries in a nice restaurant be junk food, or will it only be burgers & fries sold cheaply in mass by specific businesses?
Yes the creature known as the "social engineer" still lurks among us and is usually the impetus for such sterling ideas as this one. Unfortunately that political genus is horribly over-represented in the state and federal legislatures for my taste.
It’s only because I seek to spare you, McQ, that I’m disinclined to go dig up the link to the National Association of Scholars study of what’s now going on at universities offering degrees in social work.
Isn’t there already a "fast-food" tax? It’s called a sales tax, and I’m pretty sure that NJ’s exempts "raw" food - bought in a supermarket, for instance - while taxing "prepared" (restaraunt) food.
This falls under the same catagory as ludicrous fines for minor traffic offences: "revenue enhancement".
If you drive a car,I’ll tax the street If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat If you get too cold, I’ll tax the heat If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet...
