Life in OKlahoma 2008

[cannon_fodder]

quote:Originally posted by Hometown

Sorry about that.  I was preparing for a death match.

Oh, the gloves were off.  I had to step between you before you started posting blackmail worthy photoshops.  

Per the sales tax comment above:

While my guttural reaction is to exempt some things, it is a true slippery slope.   Every lobby would want to get in on the action.  If drugs, why not food?  If food, does that count eating out?  How about junk food and pop?  If pop, why not beer - it's better for you than pop.  And what brands?  Should someone get a tax break for buying caviar or a name brand prescription when something else would meet the need?

We all need clothing.  And toothbrushes, gotta have toothbrushes.  What about non-prescription drugs?  What would count as a drug - therapy "medicines?"  Also, some people use cough syrup to get high - so should we exclude that?  Tampons?  Gas should be tax free, we all need gas in Oklahoma to survive.  

How about safety glasses, ear plugs, and other prevented health items?  Condoms?  Certainly condoms could do as much good for society as any other health prevention (oh how slim our jail populations would be if only lowlifes could have tax free condoms!).

Perhaps I am being obnoxious, but only a little.  The fact is many items are "necessities."  We need gasoline, food, medicine, clothing.  We also need tax revenue.

Tax it across the board.

[rwarn17588]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

Perhaps I am being obnoxious, but only a little.  The fact is many items are "necessities."  We need gasoline, food, medicine, clothing.  We also need tax revenue.

Tax it across the board.

Gee, how pragmatic. How sensible.

We can't be having that around here! []

[Red Arrow]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder
 The fact is many items are "necessities."  We need gasoline, food, medicine, clothing.  We also need tax revenue.

The slippery slope is a potential down side. The way I remember the PA choices, even before the computer explosion, we had to sort things at the grocery store. Soda (pop) was taxable, milk was not. Mouthwash at the drugstore (Listerine)was taxed, gargle (Listerine, yep same stuff) was not.  Swim wear was taxed, tee shirts, jeans etc were not.  I don't remember about beer but I expect it had sales tax.  Many residents referred to PA as "PA, the land of taxes".  PA had nothing on OK.  OK taxes everything.

I believe the intent of the exemptions was to cover most, but not all, necessities to make the tax less "regressive".  The legislature or some authority must have had enough guts to say this is and this is not taxed. End of argument.  PA had no state income tax until 1971 and the state sales tax at that time was 6%. I don't remember any county or local sales tax.  I haven't lived there for a long time so I cannot speak to present conditions.