The state of Kentucky enacted a new sales tax on the services of telecommunications companies. It also forbade the companies from breaking the tax out as a line item on customer’s bills — that might get people mad at the legislators, after all. The Sixth Circuit, Sutton, J., ruled that under the intermediate level of First Amendment scrutiny applied to limitations on commercial speech, the “no-stating-the-tax” provision was unconstitutional. (BellSouth v. Farris, Sept. 9).
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I find it refreshing that FL permits/allows/had to accept that all the gas pumps have stickers showing how much of the price is due to taxes.
Kentucky’s proposed ban on disclosure of tax reminds me of another state’s laughable and failed – but real- attempt to prevent insurance companies from referring to new state “surcharges” as taxes.
This occurred in 1996 or 1997 when HCRA (Health Care Reform Act) became law.
In Connecticut where I live we have almost the highest – if not the highest – gasoline tax in the U.S. The tax is roughly double the oil companies’ profits. And who does the legislature criticize for gouging? Right.
So not only do we observe legislatures requiring private businesses to be their tax collectors, we observe them attempting to hide their tracks completely.
. . . thus adding credence to the idea that the words honest and politician should almost never be uttered in the same sentence.
“. . thus adding credence to the idea that the words honest and politician should almost never be uttered in the same sentence.”
An honest politician is one that tells you he’s lying.