Happy Tax Day, All.
Of course, this is America. EVERY day is Tax Day.
Please – raise your hand if you think we aren’t paying enough taxes on enough things.
I don’t see a whole lot of hands.
In addition to income taxes, We the People pay taxes (or fees, which are taxes) on-and/or-for most or all of the following:
Property, sales, marriage licenses, schools, vehicles, recreational vehicles, drivers’ licenses, vehicle license plates, fishing licenses, hunting licenses, business licenses, personal license fees, waste management, water, cigarettes, courts, dogs, cats, gifts, Social Security, Medicare, self-employment, unemployment, gifts, estates, gasoline, biodiesel, gun ownership, highway tolls, hotels, imports, individual health insurance, insect control, government inspections, library cards, liquor, luxuries, parking, passports, flights, sports stadiums, general service charges, government park entry, tanning, tires….
Sadly, this is by no means a comprehensive list.
We are constantly reminding tax-freak Leftists – they are free to send governments at all levels as much additional money as they wish.
Nigh none ever do.
Because Leftists are titanic hypocrites.
And of course, Leftists don’t like to leave things to voluntary chance. They much prefer mandates.
Leftists like government pointing guns at you – and demanding you do exactly what they say.
Which is what we are currently witnessing in Washington with regard to the Internet.
Since the federal government rightly privatized the Web in the mid-1990s, the frigging thing has exploded outward and upward.
The Internet has become a free speech-free market Xanadu. Going from “What’s that?” – to 1/6th of our $18-trillion-per-annum economy.
A fundamental element of the Web’s privatization – was the uber-light regulatory imposition chosen at that time. The government…basically left the Internet alone.
When government leaves something alone – greatness ensues with monotonous regularity.
The Internet is a quarter-century’s worth of quintessential private sector success. What happens when (relatively) free people are left to freely associate as they wish – commercially and otherwise.
The Left’s response to this? Let’s undo ALL of this massive success – and jam a giant bunch of government down our Web-surfing throats.
Bicameral Democratic Leaders Unveil Save The Internet Act
The Donkeys’ bill would stuff the expansive, ever-expanding Web – into 1934 landline telephone law.
Which would absolutely mean the Web – would stop expanding and being expansive. And implode – all the way down to landline telephone size. Which as we know – is comparatively infinitesimal.
The less-discussed portion of the Democrats’ inane awfulness – is taxes.
There aren’t taxes directly upon your Internet access – shocker, I know. Because Republicans permanently banned them.
So Democrats are looking to tax the Internet – by pretending it’s a phone.
If the Democrats impose telephone law on the Internet – they can then impose telephone taxes on the Internet. And we pay a whole lot of telephone taxes.
There are various excise taxes.
There’s the 911 tax. Except:
911 Taxes Don’t Fund 911 Service
Because of course.
And then there’s…the Mother of All Taxes: The Universal Service Fund (USF).
The USF varies by yearly quarter – but it is always a HUGE percentage.
Quarter Two of 2019 – it is 18.8% Down from 20% in Quarter One.
Since 2015, the average USF tax rate is 18.3%.
Now, imagine your monthly Internet bill – with an extra near-20% on top. Going right to the government.
You should – because Democrats are.
Please – raise your hand if you think this new massive tax on your Internet service is a good idea.
Because we aren’t paying enough taxes on enough things.
I don’t see a whole lot of hands.
This first appeared in Red State.