It's official the government has lost it's mind

[ScottA]

First they wiped out the family farms now they are going after the ranchers.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – For farmers, this stinks: Belching and gaseous cows and hogs could start costing them money if a federal proposal to charge fees for air-polluting animals becomes law.

Farmers so far are turning their noses up at the notion, which is one of several put forward by the Environmental Protection Agency after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that greenhouse gases emitted by belching and flatulence amounts to air pollution.

"This is one of the most ridiculous things the federal government has tried to do," said Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, an outspoken opponent of the proposal.

It would require farms or ranches with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 hogs to pay an annual fee of about $175 for each dairy cow, $87.50 per head of beef cattle and $20 for each hog.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081205/ap_on_bi_ge/farm_scene_cow_tax_2

If this becomes law I'm starting the revolution myself.

[John_C]

That one is so preposterous it's hard to believe they're serious.  It ought to be an April fool's day item.

How about a meter for each of us.... every time you belch or pass gas you owe them a pollution tax.

How about one for the politicians.  Every time they open their yap they get tagged with a public B.S. tax. That would generate some serious revenue.

[Sonoran]

Here's a fun tax proposal that I made for my econ class:

I definitley think that there should be a mandatory bum tax (the homeless people kind of bum).  We should tax the bum's on their income. We should tax them for property rights and establish ownership of corners and meridians for the bums willing to pay the most.  The property tax will fund a program that will give people jobs enforcing that the bums are not panhandling from places which they have not payed their dues. This will increase jobs and tax revenue.  There should be different tax brackets for bums. Example:   Bum mothers with children and bums who act injured should pay a 15% income tax. Regular bums should pay 10%. Honest bums whose signs say "why lie, i want beer" should be rewarded with a 5% income tax.  The income tax will fund a program to hire people to make sure that the bums are paying their income tax.  The jobs that will be created and the tax revenue that will follow make it hard to deny that such a program would not be worthwhile in creating.

[glenn kangiser]

May be hard to collect, but a good idea. 

I once told a bum that the manager of the store had called the police to come get him.... doing him a favor.... he thanked me and went out the back door.   

Don't worry -- he was in there everyday - not a true hungry real person...

[Sonoran]

Yeah, definitely hard to collect. Bums receive cash. Cash runs the underground economy because it can't be traced. 

I remember that we had a discussion board on tax proposals, most of which were extreme, like the gas tax mentioned by Scott.

I was trying to hit on the idea that some taxes only exist to pay the people who enforce that it is being followed.  Bums make more money than people may realize, which goes untaxed, so in theory it may not be a bad idea.

I disagree with the cow tax.  What about a peel out tax for fast drivers who "peel out" all the time? 

[glenn kangiser]

I think there may be one of them - at least there was when I was a kid.

It was paid in aluminum, (bell housing), Steel, (axle), rubber, (my friends car's tires - his fault for letting me drive), tickets (110 in a 55) fortunately the officer couldn't catch up before I pulled over and parked - saw him in the mirror, so asked me --- I estimated my speed at near 80 ... I was young and dumb... He told me the next time I was trying out my new carbuerator make sure the fuzz wasn't around....  and on and on.....