InFatuated With Taxes

The beverage and retail coalition is fighting back on the governor's "Fat Tax" proposal-in an air war with the health coalition that wants to remain fat at the tax payer's expense. As Daily Politics reports: "On the heels of a statewide media blitz by a coalition of labor, health care religious and non-profit interests that support Gov. David Paterson's proposal to tax sugary drinks comes a pushback from the NY Beverage Association, which, unsurprisingly, is very much in opposition."

And the pushback hits against the obsessive compulsive-and unscientific notion-that soda (much like cigarettes and cancer) causes obesity: "Whereas the Alliance for Healthier New York as cast this as a "life or death tax," touting the fact that some of the revenue it generates will be used to combat obesity, New Yorkers Against Unfair Taxes argues: "(Taxes don't make people healthy; Exercise and a balanced diet do that."

Of course, not only does soda have no causal relationship with obesity it is, as we have pointed out, unhealthy for tax payers and all of the small businesses that are in the beverage distribution chain. Just because you practice this three card monte version of tax dependency, one that seeks to hide the tax pea in a shell labelled health, doesn't change the Fiorella Laggard observation: "No matter how you slice it, it's still baloney.!"

And it doesn't somehow reduce the deleterious impact of yet another tax-in a state that is sinking into the Hudson with its current overbearing tax burden. And the ad cites our good friend Nelson Eusebio who tells is like it is: We are committed to going toe-to-toe with the special interests to defeat this new tax on working families," said Nelson Eusebio, chairman of New Yorkers Against Unfair taxes. "This tax will cost New Yorkers jobs and will not deliver any of the alleged benefits. This is nothing more than a money grab and we are confident the legislature will reject it."

Last year's budget was an abomination-even with all of the stimulus money-of more taxes and fees. For the lame duck to keep on quacking this tune is a further indication of the cluelessness that will eventually send him packing off into retirement. In the meantime, it's up to the legislature to inject some sobriety into the budget process. It is our economy that's on life support. No new taxes!