Forum Discussion
103 Replies
- Anyone who wants a real eye-opener.......... Sit down with a piece of paper or a spreadsheet. Start listing all the taxes and fees you pay out on a regular basis:
1 Air Transportation Taxes (just look at how much you were charged the last time you flew)
#2 Biodiesel Fuel Taxes
#3 Building Permit Taxes
#4 Business Registration Fees
#5 Capital Gains Taxes
#6 Cigarette Taxes
#7 Court Fines (indirect taxes)
#8 Disposal Fees
#9 Dog License Taxes
#10 Drivers License Fees (another form of taxation)
#11 Employer Health Insurance Mandate Tax
#12 Employer Medicare Taxes
#13 Employer Social Security Taxes
#14 Environmental Fees
#15 Estate Taxes
#16 Excise Taxes On Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans
#17 Federal Corporate Taxes
#18 Federal Income Taxes
#19 Federal Unemployment Taxes
#20 Fishing License Taxes
#21 Flush Taxes (yes, this actually exists in some areas)
#22 Food And Beverage License Fees
#23 Franchise Business Taxes
#24 Garbage Taxes
#25 Gasoline Taxes
#26 Gift Taxes
#27 Gun Ownership Permits
#28 Hazardous Material Disposal Fees
#29 Highway Access Fees
#30 Hotel Taxes (these are becoming quite large in some areas)
#31 Hunting License Taxes
#32 Import Taxes
#33 Individual Health Insurance Mandate Taxes
#34 Inheritance Taxes
#35 Insect Control Hazardous Materials Licenses
#36 Inspection Fees
#37 Insurance Premium Taxes
#38 Interstate User Diesel Fuel Taxes
#39 Inventory Taxes
#40 IRA Early Withdrawal Taxes
#41 IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
#42 IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
#43 Library Taxes
#44 License Plate Fees
#45 Liquor Taxes
#46 Local Corporate Taxes
#47 Local Income Taxes
#48 Local School Taxes
#49 Local Unemployment Taxes
#50 Luxury Taxes
#51 Marriage License Taxes
#52 Medicare Taxes
#53 Medicare Tax Surcharge On High Earning Americans Under Obamacare
#54 Obamacare Individual Mandate Excise Tax (if you don’t buy “qualifying” health insurance under Obamacare you will have to pay an additional tax)
#55 Obamacare Surtax On Investment Income (a new 3.8% surtax on investment income)
#56 Parking Meters
#57 Passport Fees
#58 Professional Licenses And Fees (another form of taxation)
#59 Property Taxes
#60 Real Estate Taxes
#61 Recreational Vehicle Taxes
#62 Registration Fees For New Businesses
#63 Toll Booth Taxes
#64 Sales Taxes
#65 Self-Employment Taxes
#66 Sewer & Water Taxes
#67 School Taxes
#68 Septic Permit Taxes
#69 Service Charge Taxes
#70 Social Security Taxes
#71 Special Assessments For Road Repairs Or Construction
#72 Sports Stadium Taxes
#73 State Corporate Taxes
#74 State Income Taxes
#75 State Park Entrance Fees
#76 State Unemployment Taxes (SUTA)
#77 Tanning Taxes (a new Obamacare tax on tanning services)
#78 Telephone 911 Service Taxes
#79 Telephone Federal Excise Taxes
#80 Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Taxes
#81 Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Taxes
#82 Telephone State And Local Taxes
#83 Telephone Universal Access Taxes
#84 The Alternative Minimum Tax
#85 Tire Recycling Fees
#86 Tire Taxes
#87 Tolls (another form of taxation)
#88 Traffic Fines (indirect taxation)
#89 Use Taxes (Out of state purchases, etc.)
#90 Utility Taxes
#91 Vehicle Registration Taxes
#92 Waste Management Taxes
#93 Water Rights Fees
#94 Watercraft Registration & Licensing Fees
#95 Well Permit Fees
#96 Workers Compensation Taxes
#97 Zoning Permit Fees - I can't understand why someone would boycott a state over a 20 cent hike per gallon of fuel. It's not like you live there and pay it everyday. I don't see threads of people boycotting Alaska with high fuel prices. California is a beautiful state with lots to offer.
hpdrver wrote:
Texas is in the process of building a high speed rail from Dallas to Houston with no public money. It is being built through private investors. Unlike California, no tax money is to be used. Look at Texascentral.com
Not entirely true. They are using eminent domain (a government power) and requesting government grants and loan subsidies.
If the project is successful and does not use public funds then go for it.
Unfortunately high speed rail does not pay for itself. Only a small number of HSR systems worldwide are profitable or breakeven.
I am not against any form of transportation as long as its benefit outweighs its cost but it should be the people of the areas choice not people from far away.
If a method works for that population then by all means use it but no one has the right to tell others how it will be for them.
And to the original subject of this string; if taxes are levied for a specified purpose and that purpose is delivered then great but if they are stated for one purpose and then used in some other way without the say of the people that is wrong.- Atlee, don't let the high fuel prices keep you from seeing the beauty of California. If you haven't seen the Sequoia's, they are breathtaking including so many other places in the State.
I have a picture of my great aunt and uncle in the early 1940's driving a late model 1930's Oldsmobile through a cut-out in a huge Sequoia, I repeated that trip in 2007 driving through a similar tree.
Are we excited about the fuel tax?, no.
One thing I like about living (part time) in the desert, is that I'm 75 miles from Lake Arrowhead/Big Bear Lake (has snow in the winter), 130 miles from the Pacific ocean, 80 miles to Borrego Springs, etc.
We'll be dead for a L O N G time, enjoy everything you can.
Safe travels,
MM. - I'm happy that I don't need to go to California again to see stuff. Did that in 2013. Only regret was not getting up to Yosemite, but we were in California to early for that.
Going to see Death Valley was more important to me than going to Yosemite. Had to be in Death Valley early in the year. dodge guy wrote:
Except they already had tax for that and it got used elsewhere. now they have a new tax that will end up doing the same thing. how many times do they think the citizens of the state are going to fall for that?!
Well if history serves, every time!- What states fail to recognize is at a certain point taxes become counterproductive. Kansas has dug themselves into a hole with tax relief for small businesses. Now they want to increase taxes to maintain a balanced budget that's mandated. Someone has to pay, if they raise taxes to much I'll simply leave to a lower cost state. While I don't live in California I can understand the people's frustration with taxes that seem to go down a rabbit hole. I wonder what the true cost would be to pay off California's debt per person.
monkey44 wrote:
John & Angela wrote:
monkey44 wrote:
rhagfo wrote:
The Western states have never been too hot on mass transportation. Having had the "pleasure" of traveling for work I will say the health of mass transportation on the East Coast is not bad at all. I found much more enjoyable to take a train from DC to NYC, more room power and FREE WiFi so I could easily work during the trip. Train arrived Penn Station, and could easily catch a subway to within a block of my hotel.
The westerns states are too spread out, as are the workplaces - in the cities, most folks ride-share ... the rest park & ride, and those that need a vehicle, drive. No easy answer, but mass-transit only works in small, defined areas.
LA to SF might work, but SF has a good bus system downtown, LA does not - but UBER may add a little edge to LA as UBER in some areas works very well as long as the traffic does not interfere with scheduling.
Yes, but the way I understand it this is hot a mass transit project in any way shape or form. This is a high speed rail project, essentially transportation in lieu of or to augment air travel or road travel. Even if they go with old generation technologie this is a 300 KMH rail line. If they go with the latest technology it will be north of 350 to 400 KMH.
Yes, I get it - long range ... but what happens when you arrive? If the city has no easy way to get around, then what? Long-range rail transit needs to hit a hub where short-range transit can get people where they need to go too ... Boston has the "T" for example, and UBER is emerging in cities to take that position (works very well too)
Yah good point. I'm not up on there city facilities although we have been there half a dozen times. Never paid attention.John & Angela wrote:
monkey44 wrote:
rhagfo wrote:
The Western states have never been too hot on mass transportation. Having had the "pleasure" of traveling for work I will say the health of mass transportation on the East Coast is not bad at all. I found much more enjoyable to take a train from DC to NYC, more room power and FREE WiFi so I could easily work during the trip. Train arrived Penn Station, and could easily catch a subway to within a block of my hotel.
The westerns states are too spread out, as are the workplaces - in the cities, most folks ride-share ... the rest park & ride, and those that need a vehicle, drive. No easy answer, but mass-transit only works in small, defined areas.
LA to SF might work, but SF has a good bus system downtown, LA does not - but UBER may add a little edge to LA as UBER in some areas works very well as long as the traffic does not interfere with scheduling.
Yes, but the way I understand it this is hot a mass transit project in any way shape or form. This is a high speed rail project, essentially transportation in lieu of or to augment air travel or road travel. Even if they go with old generation technologie this is a 300 KMH rail line. If they go with the latest technology it will be north of 350 to 400 KMH.
Yes, I get it - long range ... but what happens when you arrive? If the city has no easy way to get around, then what? Long-range rail transit needs to hit a hub where short-range transit can get people where they need to go too ... Boston has the "T" for example, and UBER is emerging in cities to take that position (works very well too)RVMike wrote:
The money will not go to the roads, they have done this 3 other times and the roads are still ****. The Governor has the power to declare any program in financial need and can take the funds from any program. California is always broke but finds funds to help illegals.
And the state employee retirement fund which is billions in debt. It's a shell game.
