Posted on 03/08/2005 7:37:49 AM PST by Cat loving Texan
Measure seeks hike in general sales tax plus extra charge on baked goods, sodas, chips.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 Texans would pay more than 10 percent sales tax each time they buy cookies, popcorn, soda or other snack foods if the Legislature approves a revised tax bill passed by a House committee late Monday.
The bill is a new version of the tax-shift legislation that the House Ways and Means Committee passed last week. The committee reworked the bill after Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn's office said it would not raise as much money as House leaders projected.
Under the new version, a 3 percent snack tax — which lawmakers included specifically to target obesity — would be added to the general sales tax charged for those items.
The House bill also raises the general state sales tax from 6.25 percent to 7.25 percent, which would be the highest state rate in the country, and slightly more than what was approved last week.
In addition, the bill calls for businesses to pay a payroll tax of 1.15 percent on each employee's salary, up to $90,000 per worker, which is also a slight increase from last week's proposal.
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, said the tax would apply to any worker for whom an employer pays into the unemployment insurance system.
The House is considering the new and increased taxes to pay for a proposed one-third reduction in school property taxes as part of an overhaul of the way Texas pays for public schools.
Strayhorn had said the tax plan approved last week would take in about $1 billion less than what would be needed to pay for that property tax relief.
Keffer said he's confident the new version of the bill addresses Strayhorn's concern, as well as questions her office raised about how the bill should be interpreted.
"We've been working with the comptroller all day long," he said. "We are in agreement."
While some foods are exempt from sales taxes, the ones addressed in the snack tax have not been, he said. The new tax would apply to sales in stores but not restaurants.
Keffer said he expects the bill to come before the full House on Thursday. It will follow a major school reform bill that is up for debate today. The tax bill also calls for increases in the cigarette tax and the sales tax for autos and boats. It would expand the sales tax to cover bottled water, newspapers, billboard advertising and car washes and repairs.
All five Republicans on the committee and one Democrat voted for the revised bill.
Monday's events marked the second time in the last two regular legislative sessions that House Republicans had to tweak a major piece of legislation in a committee after the committee had voted on it.
In 2003, the House Civil Practices Committee had to reconsider a tort reform bill after Democrats complained the bill had been discussed at a meeting that wasn't properly announced in advance.
Also Monday, the head of the Senate Education Committee criticized the House school finance legislation because it does not specify where the state would find more than $3 billion in additional funding over the next two years.
"I think it's very difficult to just say we'll pass all this education reform, but we don't know where the money's coming from," said Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano.
"What if they only find $2 billion in scrubbing the budget instead of $3 billion?"
House Speaker Tom Craddick has said the new money for schools will come from savings in other parts of the state budget.
Some members of the House Appropriations Committee are reviewing the budget to look for ways to save that money.
Through a spokeswoman, House Public Education Committee Chairman Kent Grusendorf said, "I have been assured that when House Bill 2 passes, the money to fund House Bill 2 will be made available."
1.) It hurt the snack food business.
2.) People got sick of it and let their reps know it.
When were you elected to office?
Laura Earl said I fell on my head last night but I feel fine.
I believe LE...........you might want to see someone about that problem.
He has a REAL problem!
see ?....its methane madness, the unseen killer..lol
But I feel fine. Nothing in the news today. What is President Reagan up to?
I feel great.
Yep ;)
1.) It hurt the snack food business.
2.) People got sick of it and let their reps know it.
That's right! Thanks for refreshing my memory, metesky. :)
"The DUmmies must be STEAMED! What's going to happen to all of broke dope heads around midnight every night??
It's a raping of the Stoner's! LMBO!"
Lol. I honestly am interested in seeing them faced with this dilemna.
LOL. I'm getting educated. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay this smoke tax or drive on these new tolls roads that are going up. It's not the money, it's the principle.
Okay, I'll admit up front that I haven't read the entire article. I hate being taxed so I didn't want to raise my blood pressure.
Second, I've only read the thread up to the reply to which I'm replying, but thus far it's a gripefest, with 70 to 0 against this "snack tax" idea.
Third, I hate taxes as much as the rest of you Texans. Just consider all my preceding comments as my own personal contribution to this cathartic gripefest.
Fouth, this snack tax is a stupid idea. (Did I say that already?) Okay, now I'm through with my griping.
Now, having said all that, why don't you guys turn the bitching and moaning into a problem-solving discussion? I would like to read some reasonable, thoughtful comments about why this writer, that being me, as a normal weight, relatively healthy person who takes great pains to take care of myself and not gain weight, should have to pay higher insurance rates, Medicare expenses, and God knows what else because approximately 1/3rd of the population cannot control their appetites and as a direct result develop long-term, debilitative, and co$tly obesity-related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, asthma, stroke, hypertension, and orthopedic problems?
In other words, why should I pay for the health expenses of people who become obese because they eat too much? People who are fat.
Too blunt? Probably. But I watched a 400 lb. female patient fall down 3 times today at the hospital because of her weight. She's not my patient; I was just there visiting. But I know the end result for this woman will now be another few weeks of expen$sive hospitalization that you and I are paying for.
Anyone got any better solutions?
If you're a fat smoker, you already know that you're more likely to require medical care.
Why your medical history and lifestyle choice should be spread among those that don't practice your lifestyle choice is a bit of a mystery. It's not as if bad drivers intentionally get into wrecks, but smoking is pretty intentional.
This is a "solution" to bring funding for reconfiguring the school finance system. It has nothing to do with the rising cost of healthcare due to obesity. It is a way for a lazy legislature to doing serious leg work. As for action we need to get primary candidates to run against any Republican who votes for this nonsense. If the school districts aren't made to cut costs of over $10,000 per student any fixes are useless.
Since when did Texas become the testing ground for the anti-fat Jihadis?
You forgot that heavyweight Sara Lee.
"The only positive is that they only meet 140 days every other year."
AMEN, brother!
1. $200/year TV tax (TV causes obesity)
2. $200/year video game console tax (video games cause obesity)
3. 5% tax on video games eated EC and E, 7.5% tax on video games rated T, 10% tax on video games rated M, and 25% tax on video games rated AO
4. $200/year computer tax (computer use causes obesity)
5. $200/year internet tax (masqueraded as an Internet ID Card)
Tax on the air you breathe
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