Chicago Gun-Buyers Face First-in-Nation $25 Tax

NewsMax ^ | 02 Nov 2012 | Thomson/Reuters

[Qbert]

The county that includes Chicago on Friday approved a tax on firearms to help pay the healthcare costs from gun violence, the first major U.S. metropolitan area to impose such a tax as a form of gun control.

Under the plan, Cook County, Ill., will impose a $25 tax on each firearm sold. The tax is expected to raise $600,000 in revenue in 2013.

With Friday's vote, the nation's second most populous county with nearly 5.2 million residents becomes the first major U.S. metropolitan area to impose a tax as a form of gun control, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

The Cook County board of commissioners voted 9 to 7 to approve the firearms tax.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who proposed the handgun tax, had earlier this week abandoned an additional proposed tax of 5 cents a bullet because the tax in some cases would have exceeded the price of ammunition.

Preckwinkle said that 670 victims of gun violence had been treated by the county's health system last year. The average cost per patient was $52,000.

[neocon1984]

after that it will be $100 and the year after that...

... comes the law of diminishing returns. People will buy guns in surrounding counties. Libs hate it when people foil their plans by exercising their rights.

BYW, do any Freepers know that the City of Chicago gets $10 bucks per passenger for every plane that lands and takes off from O'Hare? It's a perfect libbie tax - hidden, so people blame the airlines for high airfares.

[expat2]

Surely this is racist!
The white folk can go into the suburbs and get their guns, but the blacks not so easily. But then again, how many of the guns in the inner city are bought legally, anyway?

[ExCTCitizen]

Under the plan, Cook County, Ill., will impose a $25 tax on each firearm sold.

How about ILLEGAL GUN SALES?? Are they taxed??

[MaxMax]

Want to protect yourself, then pay the Gov.

Why not, Obamacare is a breathing tax. Then they take 50% of whats left when you die.

This Government needs to be stopped with a pitchfork up their collective ASSES!

[TheRightGuy]

Under the plan, Cook County, Ill., will impose a $25 tax on each firearm sold.

Preckwinkle's original plan was a tax on ammo ... five cents per bullet ... it got laughed out of existence. An afternoon at the range could get pretty expensive.

[MaxMax]

At least with Obamacare they can legally deny care.
There's the savings Obama was talking about.

[Carriage Hill]

There a box on their income tax form they can check to pay the $25 tax:

Thug $25 Gun Tax

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

the only people it effects are the honest citizens.

To use a favorite rant of the lefties; it unfairly discriminates against poor citizens and will have a disproportionate impact on them.

In this case the rant is true and points to potential vulnerability of such a tax to a lawsuit.

Regards,
GtG

[radioone]

$24.95 of that fee will disappear into the coffers of the “democrat machine”. Everybody will get their “taste”.

[Red in Blue PA]

Tax Hoodies!

[Secret Agent Man]

Obviously this was a totally symbolic slam at legal gun purchasers.

[JoeFromSidney]

Isn't this akin to a poll tax to vote?

[Right Wing Assault]

First they tax them for a police force that is not doing the job.

Then they tax them for trying to protect themselves and their families from murderous thugs.

Pure obama style logic.

Trying to put the local dealers out of business. The city is assuming people will go out of the city to buy.

[Right Wing Assault]

To pay the health care costs for gun violence.

No, no, no, no, no. It will SAVE on costs. I expect people to keep shooting until the perp is down. Most of them will die. Just think of all the court costs and jail costs if the guy is caught and goes to trial.

[Condor51]

*** At least with Obamacare they can legally deny care. There's the savings Obama was talking about. ***

:-) Uh-Huh. Deny the thugs medical care in Chicago. That'll happen when Lake Michigan rises and makes my Village's east border Lakeside Property.

But seriously, from what I've seen posted the last few days about whose excluded from Obamacare, these thugs are in that group: a) Below the poverty level or, b) on Medicaid (which I'm already paying for anyway).

But what C_Rook County *should* and could do to get these mutts to pay is go after their personal assist with a Tax Lien. As everyone of them is driving a pretty new car with fancy rims. Videos of these creeps can be found on YouTube and their cars are all newer than ours - seize the cars. And you can bet they do file a Tax Form for Child Credits. So they're getting 'Free Money' from us for taxes they didn't pay - seize that too. Even if the 'patient' is a minor, someone is claiming them on a Tax Form for a child credit - seize that money too.

The County would do this to any other patient or group who owed them for a Hospital Bill so nothing makes the bangers exempt. Except they're the same color as the C_Rook County Board.

[Condor51]

You bet. And worse -- but which will not be mentioned -- Racist.

The County Board is controlled by Chicago Black pols through a deal struck with Daley years ago: They get the County Board and they don't run for Mayor of Chicago. And the Board looks at all of Suburban Chicago within Cook County as a piggy-bank, the money to be spent on and in Chicago. The 'rich' Northwest suburbs are especially targeted.

So all this $25.00 per gun tax will really do is close down most gun shops in Cook County. Only a few had lower prices to begin with, and not by much. And this tax serves another purpose, an end run to more Gun Control.
(Cook County already has an Assault Weapon Ban that almost nobody knows about.)