Posted on 03/30/2006 5:54:34 AM PST by PissAndVinegar
One portion of the state budget that's pretty much a done deal could save you a lot of money. The state plans to drop its share of the sales tax on clothing and shoes under $110 all year long! But how much you save will depend on exactly where you shop.
Plan on buying some clothes in the near future, say after April 1? Well you can do it tax free, sort of and no April Fools!
Shopper Latasha Dinkins said, “I'll be back to shop!”
And you can bet many others will too all year long. It’s a welcome sign of relief for shoppers and retailers.
B. Lodge Store Owner Jack Yonally said, “It's nice to see the state giving something back to the consumer.”
Under the change New York will drop its portion of the state sales tax -- 4 percent -- on clothing and shoe purchases under $110. At B. Lodge's Clothing Store in Albany, one of the last independent department stores around, the tax cut is more than welcome.
Yonally said, “When the consumer saves, the consumer is going to purchase more in NYS -- and I think it's a win, win situation.”
While the state is dropping it's a portion of the sales tax, counties like Albany are keeping their 4 percent but if you go across the river to Rensselaer County you can shop basically tax free -- they're eliminating their portion of the sales tax completely. The same is true in Columbia, Greene and Hamilton Counties as well as the City of Gloversville.
Ted Potrikus said, “That's where the benefit will be the greatest for retailers and their customers.”
Retail Council Executive Vice President Ted Potrikus says he'd rather see a uniform tax cut.
Potrikus said, “It's a disappointment that more counties don't participate…now you'll have a county to county competition.”
But he says the whole move is a positive sign. After all it's a savings for taxpayers statewide of nearly $600 million a year.
So you may be wondering why some counties are holding on to their portion of the tax? Well the sales tax is a huge revenue booster for retail heavy counties that have large malls like Albany and Saratoga.
Yea - in sales tax. How much are they going to raise our income taxes now?
I'm glad they at least capped it @ $110. I never thought I'd be complaining about *losing* a tax but sales taxes are the lesser of two evils. Tax me on what I comsume, not how wisely I save, invest and make my money!
I wonder how the "Fair Tax" advocates will spin this political trend in taxation?
Joe Bruno says it's all okay because we're being 'given' a property tax 'rebate' of up to $800. I can't wait to get out of this cesspool and get somewhere where things make some damn sense.
Sounds kind of idiotic, why not just drop sales tax on clothing all together. If you want to buy a $200 pair of shoes, I suppose you could buy the left one for $100 then come back in ten minutes and buy the right one. Liberals just can't stand to think that a wealthy people might actually see some tax relief. Just because they pay the biggest chunck of taxes already, why do they deserve relief?
The idea is that it is unconscionable to tax people on the necessities of life. Food (unprepared) and clothing have always been exempt from sales tax in PA, for example.
Milk is a necessity, so it is not taxed. Soda Pop is not a necessity so it is subject to the sales tax. Likewise, prepared food in a restaurant is not a necessity.
Now, no one needs a $200 pair of shoes or a $150 NFL game jersey. So one can make reasonable arguments for capping the value on "necessity" items.
SD
Who needs a shirt that costs more than $20 or a pair of shoes that costs more than $30? The amount of tax collected on clothing items over $200 is minuscule compared to the taxes collected on all other clothing items. This isn't about necessities, it is about hatred towards the rich.
And the Marxist class warfare continues! This is pure BS!
What part of "equal protection under the law" does NY not understand?
If there is to be a reduction in sales taxes in NY, it should be an across the board reduction!
It is high time We the People began to more effectively marginalize the Marxist class warfare concept -- it is destroying America, as was intended!
Now, no one needs a $200 pair of shoesSomeone with foot problems might, why should they be punished just because YOU determine need by price?
I can't speak for others, but I am painfully aware of how much the Fe'ral Goverment demands from me. But that wasn't the point. I am fully aware of all the magical claims by the Fair Tax crowd. What I was soliciting was a comment or two on how does this reduction in sales tax translate into any public support for the Fair Tax?
The Fair Tax tries to create an asinine lopsided tax scheme based on the unfounded premise that "Sheople" will ignore the burgeoning black-market and willingly pay 20%+ more for goods and services. I don't care to argue that, its pointless because clearly the law makers have stuck their dampened fingers into the political winds and have divined that the Sheople want lower sales taxes, not substantially higher let alone current sales tax levels.
I'm just thinking that this latest action is akin to pouring grit in the gears of tax change.
Yeah, whatever dude. I'm just explaining the logic to ya. It's not all about animosity toward the rich.
SD
Someone with foot problems might, why should they be punished just because YOU determine need by price?
LOL. Orthopedic shoes wouldn't be taxed under such a system (exempting necessities from sales tax). There are differences between orthopedic shoes and designer pumps.
SD
Ummm, yes it is. It is tax-free for some 10-year old brat to buy a pair of $120 Uggs, but if some lady wants to spend $300 on a pair of Prada shoes it is taxable. That is class welfare at it worst. Either tax clothing or don't tax it. Don't make it a rich vs. poor BS. The poor already get to earn all their money tax free, while the rich are hit with a 40% income tax. It is more social engineering hate the rich BS.
I wonder how the "Fair Tax" advocates will spin this political trend in taxation
Spin what, a state trying to socially engineer taxes? That trend has always been in place, much worse in the income tax system by far. At least in a sales tax system the attempt is clear and obvious to everyone to react to, not just the few taking specialized deductions or credits in an income tax.
Personally I prefer any change to be across the board in lower rates for everyone, not targeted to specific persons, products or narrow interests. This sort of thing is just another pandering to class warfare.
I think that this is a perfect example of the failures of one man trying to dictate what another man needs.
I suppose someone who just schleps off to school or to a minimum wage job that might be true, but to be taken seriously in the corporate world those discount shoes will be as the proverbial "sore thumb". There are many people who abide by the axiom Vestis virum reddit or "Clothes make the Man". Dress like a bum, then people will treat you like a bum.
From the article:
Under the change New York will drop its portion of the state sales tax -- 4 percent -- on clothing and shoe purchases under $110.
So your statement is false. It's still irrelevant. We can argue about the threshold number, but I don't think that's the key here.
The fact of the matter is that necessities should never be subject to a sales tax. Period. It's immoral. NYS is apparently abiding by this notion on a temporary basis. It should be a permanent thing.
Non-necessities of various kinds may be subject to taxation, as the peoples' representatives see fit.
SD
For once, I'm in agreement with lewislynn.
This is precisely why the NRST proposals call for no exceptions on retail sales taxes -- otherwise, you get into these types of cases where X is taxable, and Y isn't, and usually, it comes down to social engineering BS more so than any real logical reason.
Tax everything. But only once, and all at the same rate.
I think that this is a perfect example of the failures of one man trying to dictate what another man needs.
No one needs $200 shoes.
I suppose someone who just schleps off to school or to a minimum wage job that might be true, but to be taken seriously in the corporate world those discount shoes will be as the proverbial "sore thumb". There are many people who abide by the axiom Vestis virum reddit or "Clothes make the Man". Dress like a bum, then people will treat you like a bum.
Please. Perfectly acceptable shoes can be had for less than that. And if they can't, guess what? Suck it up and accept your sartorial expenses as part of your life choices. If "corporate success" demands you spend $200 on shoes in order to be accepted in business, having to pay an extra few bucks as tax ain't gonna kill ya.
SD
And this is precisely why the NRST will never be supported by many people. It is immoral for the gov't to tax the milk out of children's bottles. Any system that taxes basic food and clothing is.
SD
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.