New York's Shameless Tax Grab

There seems to be a competition amongst Democratic Governors this month on who can slam taxpayers in their states the most. But none compares to the mind-numbing horror of when New York Governor David " Pathological liar and Freedom-Hater" Paterson announced a detailed plan to gut the New York economy. Indeed so ambitious is this plan that no sector of the economy will be left undamaged by the devastating tax hikes of Hurricane Paterson. With 137 new tax increases, its hard to think of any residents who won’t suffer.

Overall, $4.1 billion dollars will be stolen from taxpayers to help fund Gov. Paterson's meglomania. Some proposals are straight out of the far-left playbook: successful people are greedy and must be punished, so there's an additional 5% 'luxury' tax on cars costing more than $60,000, aircraft costing more than $500,000, yachts costing at least $200,000 and jewelry and furs costing in excess of $20,000. But to be fair, other tax hikes demonstrate a hatred of the poor, with fee hikes on motor vehicle licensing by 25%, fee hikes on vehicle registration, parks and auto insurance. The gas tax limitation is eliminated, allowing the tax to skyrocket – hitting all consumers and all businesses alike. But these taxes on cars are only part of the general hatred of mobility in Albany - taxes on taxies, clothing, limousines and buses will also be hiked.

Other changes of note include that food licensing fees will be hiked, driving the price of food up (and forcing some businesses to shut down or not open at all). Physician fees will be almost doubled, making heath care more unaffordable to people. Possibly attempting to stun the opposition into non-action out of sheer surprise, the tax on small-business tobacco retailers will go up... wait for it...ONE THOUSAND PERCENT.

And then there are the revenue grabs that are so useless and bizzare that I doubt even the Governor can justify them with a straight face, like fingerprinting and background checks at current fee levels of $75 for any individual who is applying for an insurance license. Or that the DMV will require everyone to purchase new license plates - at an inflated cost.

Finally, there's just the Orwellian, like providing the Department of Taxation with "a variety of tax enforcement tools including the ability to verify tax liability through the use of third party information."

New Yorkers thinking they can escape the nightmarish horror of living Paterson's Socialist Utopia through recreational activities are especially under attack. Anything even remotely fun will be punished: Movie tickets, sporting events, soda, cigars (almost tripled), massages, cable and satellite TV and radio, amusement parks and rides, circus admissions - even iTunes music and book downloads!!! The tax on wine would increase from 18.9 cents per gallon to 51 cents per gallon, and the beer tax would increase from 11 cents per gallon to 24 cents per gallon – roughly 30-cents a case. Such is the bitter, twisted mind of Gov. Paterson that the underlying theme of this budget is "if it brings people joy, it must be eliminated through high taxes".

Of course, this kill-joy socialist utopia wouldn't be complete without the putrid stench of paternalistic social engineering. Included in the package is an 18 percent sin tax on non-diet soda, with the specific reason stated by the Governor that "By increasing the price, it will discourage individuals, especially children and teenagers, from excessive consumption of these beverages." I am only surprised that bright colors haven't been taxed yet. Oh, there are also 10 new fines to "discourage dangerous behavior": Automated Speed Enforcement Cameras are expected to bring in an extra $100,000 annually, and the assessment of civil penalties for violations of Human Rights (Yes, this is actually used as a revenue raiser) is authorized.

A full list can be found here. As the Chairman of the Conservative Party of New York described, "You're sending notice to the people of New York that we really don't want you here." If you're a New Yorker, a stiff drink is advised (before they are taxed to extinction) to help you cope with the deep well of depression you shall no doubt fall into on reading it.

Now, considering this whole fiscal mess was CAUSED by a 25% increase above inflation in government spending, you would think a budget like this would include an overall cut in spending, but no. In an act of pure shamelessness, Gov. Paterson has increased total government spending by $1.4 billion.

Also consider that on November 5 of this year, when asked whether tax hikes would be included in his budget proposal, Paterson responded simply that “There will be no tax increase.”