For some relief from the apocalyptic doings on the international scene, here’s a New York State dog and cat fight in which we can all hope the animals win. It began with a proposal so dumb you just know it had to come from a politician — in this case, we have a bill introduced by a New York state senator, a Republican from the Big Apple, Frank Padavan, who wants to hit New York state residents — who already pay some of the highest taxes in the country — with a special 3% tax on pet food and pet supplies. The New York Sun broke the news, dubbing Padavan’s plan the Paw and Claw tax, in an April 20 story headlined “Albany Eyes a New Tax — on Pets.” Padavan told the Sun’s reporter, Jacob Gershman, that his aim is to help animals by funneling the pet-care tax into animal shelters. But it sounds like before the esteemed state senator goes any further, he needs to re-visit economics 101. A tax on pet supplies raises the household cost of feeding Fido and the felines, and is thus a disincentive to take on a pet. That means fewer dogs and cats in loving homes, and more on the streets and in the shelters. Which is the very opposite of this kindness to animals that Padavan says he wants to achieve.
Over at Fox News, one of my former colleagues from way-back-when at the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page, David Asman, tried to set the senator straight in a column headlined “A Paw and Claw Tax Will Bite Pet-Owners.” Padavan’s office snarled back, saying the senator stands “adamantly” behind his proposed pet levy. The Sun then took a swipe at the perversity of “The Fido Tax.” Now Asman has another piece out on Paw and Claw, elaborating on how Padavan’s tax is a microcosm of big, bad tax-and-spend government, in which the politicians come out way ahead of those they claim to be helping. Of course, if New York politicians ever got around to actually lowering taxes, New Yorkers who love animals would have more money to donate directly to shelters (instead of having it grabbed by the state and filtered through the bureaucracy). Animal lovers could also afford to take in more pets. Instead, animals in New York state are now about to bear the brunt of tooth and claw taxation. So — what next? Will the senator back off? Or will Albany go ahead and help itself from Fido’s food bowl?
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Alex Reed:With the advent of Spring, all politicians fancies turn to taxes. Although Sen. Padavan represents the tail end of the current national tax grab, he’s certainly not the only New York pol to have drunk the Kool-Aid. His fellow Republican, Mayor Bloomberg, has big designs on the wallets of anyone wanting to drive into New York City: $8 bucks a pop for cars, $21 for trucks. Considering the vast number of people who must drive their cars or trucks into the city every day, this tax will bring in a bonanza to the city coffers. Ernest Istook, a former U.S. congressman who chaired the Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee, and is now a fellow over at The Heritage Foundation, details the Mayor’s brainstorm in this Fox News article.
Apr 28, 2007 - 6:19 pm curmudgeon:Now, were the Mayor to see to it that those tax dollars were applied to provide the much needed repair of bridges and roadways in the city, or for, say, music and art studies in the school system, or to encourage dancing in the kitchen, I’d be all for it, and would gladly chip in my contribution every time I drive into town. Would that the Mayor had these worthy causes in mind as the recipients of his tax largesse. Instead he seems to have a greener idea: he wants to plow all the tax revenues into an estimated $50 Billion expansion of the mass transit system!! Yes, that’s $50 Billion, with a B! Oh, and to just get his scheme off the ground, he’s looking to the federal government to pony up an estimated $225 million to build a high-tech tracking system to be sure the tax has been paid. Fiscal wonders never cease in New York!
The Mayor should leave off his ill-advised attempt at becoming some peculiar version of The Killer Rabbit, guarding all the entrances to New York with a tax collector box in hand. He would do much better to try out as one of The Knights Who Say Ni, and demand a shrubbery of all drivers who want into the Big Apple. Thus, he could easily fulfill his promise to plant trees on every New York street. A politician fulfilling a promise……now, that would be a first!
Now now. Give Sen. Padavan some credit. He’s merely trying to get a local tax in place before the UN introduces a global pooch tax or before it’s added to the Kyoto fleece treaty.
Apr 29, 2007 - 7:24 am