Tax day is 10 days away. Ugh. Nobody likes to pay taxes, but as an accountant friend of mine says, taxes are the price we pay for the government we deserve.
Which brings me to two “voluntary” taxes and our approach to them. First the lottery. Sales were $1 million below expectations in the first five days, $24 mm, instead of $25 mm. On one hand, being only 4 percent off is some pretty good estimating the first time out of the blocks. On the other hand, there’s a nagging feeling that it’s now up to all of us to buy tickets and keep the revenue stream strong, lest some kid not get his school improvements.
Second, the sales tax. Graham Pervier, Forsyth County’s manager, said yesterday at the chamber luncheon that FC’s tax base grew about 2.5 percent, but that the sales tax is up 5 percent. Again, that’s good news, but I hear a little voice that says I need to do my civic duty to keep the property tax at bay by shopping more.
Making a list: Remember back in the 1980s, when W-S bragged about having three Fortune 500 companies based in the city? Wachovia, RJR and Piedmont. Not bad for a city this size. We have two now, Reynolds American, BB&T and we’ll get a third later this year when Hanesbrands is spun off from Sara Lee. Again, not bad.
Your host is Ken Otterbourg, the managing editor at the Winston-Salem Journal. It's a forum to discuss the media, from
You guys (the Journal) keep calling the lottery a “voluntary tax.” Well to me it isn’t a tax for one very big reason: I only have to pay if I play.
On the other hand a sales tax is a tax, and I don’t consider it entirely voluntary. If I buy food (which is not an option) I have to pay the tax. Sure I can reduce my taxes by eating less, but I still have to pay it in some amount.
Last I checked I didn’t have to buy a lottery ticket to live or really do anything for that matter, so as far as I’m concerned buying a lottery ticket is not paying a tax it’s paying an entry fee.
There’s a little poTAYto, poTAHto going on here. Voluntary tax, entry fees, etc. It’s all sort of the same. When I’m talking about the sales tax and its elasticity, I’m more focused on discretionary spending vs. essentials.
I see your point I guess, but I just can’t frame a discussion about the sales tax as discretionary vs. essential. The sales tax is what it is; we pay it on everything from milk to vegetables.
Maybe a better comparison would be to the “sin” taxes like those on tobacco. Many people do view the lottery as a sin so it isn’t too much of a stretch.
Maybe my hang up (poTAHto) is that I don’t want to call it a tax because I see the lottery ticket as a product that is being purchased. So maybe I should look as a portion that is a product (whatever is paid out in winnings) and the rest as a tax (whatever goes to pay overhead, salaries, and goes into the state coffers).
BTW, I don’t have a problem with the lottery per se, but I like to gamble...which is ironically why I don’t play it. It’s a horrible bet. I’ll take the casino over the lottery any day. Still, if our neighboring states are going to have it I’d rather keep the dollars in the state.
Sorry, Ken, but I agree with Jon concerning sales tax. You seem to be arguing that people contol their own destiny through spending habits. To a degree that’s true, but only if you have the money to spend.
Sounds like this is headed towards the argument for tax reform aka The Fair Tax Act- something everyone should read. If you think elasticity at the local and state level is perplexing- imagine the elimination of federal income taxes and the adoption of a national sales tax.
What CaddyBoy says is so, so true. I’m never going to be rich (not in the sense of money). But at least I know a gumball falls out when you put money in that kind of machine.
Nice site. Check this one out sometime…
education grants
I don’t know whether or not this is the correct page to post this. I’m not in Vernon Robinson’s district but I thought you were very unfair to him, as usual. You listed all the candidates on the fron page except For Mr. Robinson’s and you put it on B 2. We know you have your bias but fair is fair.
Thanks for writing, and this is correct place to post your comments.
Our placement on the Vernon Robinson story was largely predicated on the fact that the congressional district he is seeking to represent is not in our principal coverage area, but lies to the east. Nobody in Forsyth County could vote for him. So, it was worth noting as a story, but we thought there were more pertinent stories for our readers.
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