Posted on 12/23/2002 5:14:07 PM PST by Mixer
Today I called a mojor car rental company to rent a car. I was recently in an accident and need a rental car while my car is getting fixed. I went over the details with the rental sales person and at the very end she informed me that there is a $2 per day charge that insurance will not cover that goes straight to Homeland Security. She also informed me that it is not her company alone, but that all rental compnaies are doing this.
I had not heard about this, here on FR, or otherwise. Is anyone else familar with this and how do you all feel about it?
New Jersey, which passed a state budget Monday that actually cut the amount of homeland security by half, expects to make up for the loss by imposing a $2 per-day per-vehicle charge on car rental agencies.
Pete Sepp, a spokesman for the National Taxpayer's Union, said that some states, instead of shifting money from budgets with lesser priority to imminent homeland security needs, are hiking taxes.
I am sure glad that NJ has decided to go down the road of $2 per day of car rentals rather then raising taxes as other states have proposed.
See that is what I thought at first too, but since not everyone will rent a car it will not affect everyone the way a tax hike would. Plus, in some further research (I called a few car rental places) it doesn't seems as though the rates for renting have gone up, only that they put $2 of the daily rental towards Homeland Security.
I will be looking for more answers to this and will be interested to know how NJ came to the conclusion that this was the way to go, rahter then actuall raise taxes as other states have done.
Just how long has everyone been talking about this supposed "Police State"? Just when do you think this will go into full effect because it seems like more talk then anything else to me.
Surely this is sarcasm..
?
Actually it isn't. The $2 a day was agreed upon, not imposed, the way taxes are.
Now if I were to say that I was happy that NJ has a toll booth every 10 miles on the parkway, that would be sarcasm.
Please tell me why you think that the way NJ decided to go is worse then raises taxes? I am not being sarcastic in asking, I am looking for an opinion that differs with mine....Thanks
Matt
OH! Well, okay.. I thought you were being sarcastic and kidding around. I didn't know.
I guess my thought's on this would best be illustrated by answering your question with a question:
If this "increase" isn't a "tax", then what is it?
Nobody really knows the definition of "police state". Most of us have just picked a line in the sand beyond which, the govt will wish it had never gone.
If you look up the hill behind you though, you can see the snowball coming.
Tax - Noun - 1 a : a charge usually of money imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes b : a sum levied on members of an organization to defray expenses 2 : a heavy demand
Based on that definition of the word I would say yhtta the NJ version of the Homeland security charge only slightly falls into the tax category. Especially if you are going by the number 2 version. There is no demand to pay because there is no demans to rent a car. Also the car rental prices were not increased.
However I now see where this use of the money could be considered a tax.
I mean, there's no one forcing us to use phones, and it doesn't increase the price much, but..
And gas taxes, tobacco taxes, and on and on and on..
If it's levied by a government, I consider it a tax. Even if I don't use the product personally.
I guess I agree with you there. You never did tell me why you thought a straight tax hike for all, would be a better idea, as some states have decided to do?
Do you think it would have been better for NJ to raise taxes on something else, or perhaps starting taxing things like Milk and Bread? I think that everyone benifits from the homeland security so perhaps everyone should have to pay and not just car renters. Still on the fence about this one.
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