They make huge noises about wanting to make taxes fair by making income taxes more progressive, making the rich pay more.
Then when they have the poor paying next to nothing they come along and propose taxes like these that are as regressive as they come.
Sin taxes always will hit the poor hardest of any tax because the rich dont sin anymore than the poor (probably considerable less).
Another observation, I hardly ever see a person standing on an intersection with a sign asking for help that is not smoking?
Lotteries are also an example of an unfair tax on the poor. At stores selling lottery products it is very common to see someone using food stamps for food and buying with cash; lottery tickets, cigarettes, and alcohol. Perhaps if they did not make those bad choices they could afford to buy food without the food stamps?
That's exactly right, but unfortunately, they don't realize they, too, are being taxed into oblivion. Same with gasoline taxes: they blame "big oil" as the target.
The other big "tax" on the poor is the Lottery that is WAY disproportianately paid by the poor/low income crowd. Trying to win "richness", while at the same time loatihing those who have more and are unwilling to share it with THEM....
If someone could PLEASE explain to me how a progressive tax system is "equal treatment" under the law, and still consistent with the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause......