I was thinking about this very thing last night... contemplating how a number of friends of mine are being driven out of New Jersey simply because they can no longer afford to live there, having lost their jobs with no local replacement jobs in sight, or inability to continue paying increasingly high taxes. I know darn well the day is coming when the remaining tax-paying residents of New Jersey are gonna get a HUGE bill for the HUGE hole that's been dug by the government there for more than a decade now from high taxation, overspending, waste, fraud, and abuse. All the things one could possibly think of to do in order to drive a state's economy down the tubes, its population to leave, and its finances to border on disaster have been and continue to be done in New Jersey. Somebody talk some sense into me and tell me not to move to TAXES!
Governor Corzine's announcements of late are indeed late. It's way too late in the game and way too little to make a significant dent on both reducing the state's ongoing debt and creating a viable revenue stream necessary to pay that debt off, as well as create real economic growth and thus real prosperity for New Jersey residents, never mind tackling the corruption. Incredible flip flopping... it's actually comical to watch when you do not live in Jersey. But to New Jerseyans who are living there in the thick of it... cranky doesn't even begin to describe the burden.
I started playing around with ideas of how New Jerseyans could be taxed to make up such shortfalls... tongue in cheek fashion mind you... just to give myself a reality check. ;-)
But before we get to that brainstorming hilarity, let me suggest that all the remaining middle-class New Jerseyans who work in the private sector just move out of the state. Yep thaaat's right. Most of you are beyond cranky and fed up anyway right? Go ahead... move to Pennsylvania or North Carolina or retire in Florida. You know you'll have lots of expats there to keep you company. Finish the job... the complete out-migration of all talented, hard-working private sector employees from New Jersey. And while you're at it... move the rest of your companies out of state with you as well. Why not? There won't be any qualified employees left in the state to work there anyway. So now what's left? THE STATE is what's left where EVERYBODY works for THE STATE or gets a handout from THE STATE.
Ok... so it's THE STATE who's left. The truly rich can bail out of the state at any time, though, because they can afford to do so. The middle class are long gone. The working-class continue to struggle as they cannot afford to leave but they also cannot afford not to work. The poor are just that... poor and still poor having succumbed to the scheme to be kept ignorant and poor for their vote. Sounds like the Philippines LOL! But I guess so long as you're a part of a majority with a huge stake in keeping that bureaucracy in office, voting them in term after term no doubt, you don't care about the big picture aside from your own little piggy bank funded with all that bureaucratic piggy pork.
Yet it won't be so nice if all those "other" hard-working middle-class taxpayers are finally driven away from the state (along with their wealth because we self-serving Westerners do not remit) and thus stop paying into the piggy pot will it? Besides... the piggy bank somehow keeps getting raided anyway I hear, and it sounds pretty empty these days. The fact is too many of the elected powers that be don't seem to give a hoot about the common good there in Jersey... but to those who voted for them... too bad so sad. Guess it's boo hoo for the guy or gal now with a piggy bank for a future.
Seriously... this "dip, tax and spend" philosophy isn't about taking care of the people but it is about how those elected can pay back those all-too-knowing liberals and just plain duped voters who helped one get elected, only followed by a wimpy "oh gosh we're in the hole now so let's cut back a little" to merely blow smoke. It's about the silliest political circus I've seen in a long, long time. Watching New Jersey state politics is better than watching an old episode of Dallas here in Texas hehe. I know the two styles of "working with connections" are different but it's all the same after the smoke clears... except that J.R. is a whole lot smarter about its business in the end. ;-)
Ok...
How else can THE SOCIALIST STATE of New Jersey tax what residents are left once the smoke clears?
First, why not have a NJ State Bribe Tax. Think if this could actually be implemented! Apparently, the IRS carries a code for such a tax, as if anybody who accepts a bribe ever reports it as income.
New Jersey is known for growing its tomatoes, blueberries, and cranberries. Levy a separate tax on each of these industries... on the growers, distributors, sellers and buyers. Apparently, the state of Maine does this on its own blueberry industry.
Oh and how about taxing the sale and consumption of coffee? Why just impose an additional tax on things like tomatoes, blueberries, and cranberries when you can do the same with a legal stimulent? Think your Dunkin is expensive now... just wait.
Let's also look at various sin taxes...
How about a tax on nudity? Think of all that could be raked in from Atlantic City alone! Apparently, the state of Utah has a specific 10% tax levy on such a thing... anyone who owns/operates a business that has anyone perform a nude or partially nude service must pay this special tax. Set it much higher in New Jersey because I'm sure that Atlantic City's nudity is far more exciting than anything that could be found in Utah. Hehe.
Speaking of Atlantic City, why not impose an additional tax on all purchases of playing cards? Not that playing cards is a sin, mind you, but in former times certain Evangelical Christians did frown upon it. It's said the state of Alabama actually imposes a 10 cent tax on each deck of cards purchased.
Let's not forget alcohol... In the U.K., a tax is collected on the sale of alcoholic drinks that is calculated by volume and beverage type, rather than the price of the drink. Think of how this could work in New Jersey! Naturally under this mode of taxation being excise, the logical choice would be to most heavily tax beer. Yes let there be a state tax on beer that escalates as you drink more of it. This "beer tax" is in addition to the sales tax. Then as folks switch to higher-priced liquours, make sure to keep those taxed by price and type of drink in addition to a sales tax.
And don't leave it at legal stimulents but how about taxing illegal drugs? More specifically, impose a tax on citizens who possess an illegal drug. Apparently, there are eleven states in the Union that do this very thing, and once again it is up to the individual to report it so they can pay the tax then have a sort of "Tax Paid" tag affixed to the drug. Amazing. (The U.S. sure does place a lot of faith in its citizens.) I can see the gangs all lining up right now, ready to affix the tags to their street bags.
Not that it's a sin but how about taxing the consumption of tattoos? Yeah... treat this as an industry to be taxed. Tax the suppliers above and beyond their corporate tax and tax the buyers here above the usual sales tax. Oh and if you wanted to deter someone from covering themselves with tattoos, impose a consumption taxation whereby the more tattoos a person has, the more tax they pay for acquiring them. If it's a second or more tattoo one is getting, the greater the extra tax that gets paid at the time of purchase, to be confirmed by the tattoo artist of course.
The concept of excise tax which is taxation based on consumption and not value can be applied to all forms of "sin tax" from the purchase of p*rnography and s*x to tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
Yet what other forms of taxation (or some might say extortion) can the State of New Jersey impose on its residents?
Let's look at New Jersey's traffic problems. Why not impose a specific tax on all taxpaying households who own more than one vehicle? Mind you, I'm not talking about the sales tax upon purchase of a new vehicle but a yearly tax above and beyond that according to the number of cars you own. The more cars you own, the higher the annual tax collected.
And what about Luxury taxes? After all, let's redistribute the wealth here. Make "the rich" pay their fair share golly gee. Look at all the things rich folks tend to have... not only cars (expensive ones at that) but things like jewelry, furs, vacations to exotic places and not down Shore, or box seats at sports events. How about spa treatments and shrink visits? The list here of luxury items is endless and can even migrate into ordinary stuff over time.
I know property taxes are already high in New Jersey but why not pack in yet another level of tax according to the county one lives in? Yes... let's order all of the counties there in New Jersey in terms of Richest to Poorest, then impose a progressive taxation based on where one chooses to live and according to one's annual income? Bergen County could be number one and be assessed the highest percentage of one's total income, and so on down to the poorest county I'm sure somewhere down there in South Jersey. So not only would New Jerseyans have a state income tax but a county income tax to pay as well. Actually, why leave it at the county when you could also impose a muncipal income tax too.
I could go on but let's leave it there for now.
The point is that taxation can get way out of hand, and once it does, it becomes very counter-productive towards keeping a place economically viable and attractive as a place to live. You will eventually drive out the tax base within your population anyway, and then who's left to spread around taxes but also spend the wealth left over? High taxes are counter-productive.
I'm watching and waiting to see how New Jerseyans vote this coming November. Haven't you had enough of the insanity? ;-)
Sofie
