Politics

Politics

There are 1,058 posts filed in Politics (this is page 88 of 106).

Taxing drivers by the mile

The N&O says that with gas-tax “revenues” plummeting, North Carolina General Assembly is considering taxing drivers by the mile. This is a brilliant idea, but not for raising “revenue.” I can think of no better way to show someone the folly of her long commute than by hitting her in the pocketbook.

If drivers begin to pay by the mile, I guarantee you they will drive less. This is healthier for the driver, the city’s sprawl problem, and the environment.

What its not healthy for is the state’s “revenues.”

Move? For a job? Are you kidding?

Ran into a friend last night who was aware of my job search. She asked me “what it would take” to make me move away from Raleigh.

I laughed after quickly realizing she wasn’t trying to kick me out of town.

“Oh, I’m not going anywhere,” I said, reassuring her that there was plenty of work here for a multipurpose geek like me.

It would take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get me to move. Unless I get a phone call starting with “please hold for the President-elect” I’m staying right here.

NC to tax online sales?

Ten years ago when I worked at Indelible Blue, I learned how online retailers have to deal with a myriad of tax codes. State and local governments have extremely complex tax laws – upwards of 7,500 tax jurisdictions across the U.S. It makes paying another state’s taxes damn near impossible for a small business like Indelible Blue.

That’s why I took notice when N.C. House Speaker Joe Hackney says he wants to tax online sales as if these companies are in North Carolina:

Hackney said he would talk to Pelosi about granting states the rights to interstate sales tax collection. He said it would bring in an additional $400 million to $500 million a year for North Carolina’s state budget, especially helpful given the current budget crunch.

“It’s a tax that is already on the books, so it is not a new tax,” he said. “It’s just collecting the one that’s there.”

Oh, how many ways can I say that this is a Spectacularly Bad Idea? You know that $400 million to $500 million it would bring in? The state’s check might say it came from Amazon but the money would come from the pockets of North Carolinians. In case you weren’t paying attention, these are folks who aren’t too keen on parting with half a billion right now.

Not to mention that these companies don’t benefit from anything the state of North Carolina provides, like roads, police, laws, or even a workforce. Why should they pay North Carolina when all they receive from the state is a tax bill?

We already claim this stuff on our income tax. I hope Speaker Hackney is prudent enough to leave it at that.

Job hunting

I updated my resume last night and snagged about six job descriptions off the Internets to get me started. I’m holding out for a cabinet-level position with Obama’s administration but if that doesn’t come through I’ll need a backup plan.

Still trying to decide what I’d like to do. There are plenty of things I can do, but I’m not the same person now as I was when I did those things.

I should have more to say about the layoff experience later today. Right now I’ve got a Parks and Rec tour of Sanderford Road’s new neighborhood center to attend.