Gov. Malloy Proposes Measure To 'Tax' Coupons
Conn. Gov. Also Considers Raising State Sales Tax To 6.35%
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Devotees of coupons and discounts are angry at Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposal to slap a new sales tax on the original price of a good or service rather than the discounted price.
Ending the sales tax exemptions for coupons, discounts and automobile trade-ins are among tax exemptions Malloy has proposed ending to help close the state's projected $3.5 billion deficit. For example, the tax would be imposed on the $30 price of a blouse, not the $15 sales price.
Gina Juliano learned firsthand after she lost her job in 2009 as a vice principal with the Hartford Public Schools, that coupons and sales can help a family make ends meet. She cut her budget for food, toiletries, pet supplies and paper goods from between $200 and $300 a week to $50.
"I turned to coupons because I would have lost my house and everything. I wouldn't have been able to survive," said Juliano, who now writes a blog in Connecticut called "Gina's Kokopelli" that tracks coupons, sales and bargains for other shoppers.
Like many avid couponers, Juliano pays little or nothing for items after matching coupons with sales. For example, she recently used a $3 coupon to buy a bottle of Gain fabric softener that was on sale for $2.99 at Rite Aid.
"Under his proposal, I would have to pay tax on that, which is not right because I didn't pay for the item," said Juliano, who runs classes on couponing. "Everybody who does this, it's not like they're rich. They're doing this to survive."
Benjamin Barnes, Malloy's budget chief, isn't a particular fan of the proposal. But said because of the state's deficit woes, the administration is forced to examine the numerous tax exemptions currently on the books.
"It's true, it's a new tax. It sucks," he said. "Every single one of those, however many, 20-odd taxes is a new tax and it sucks. I don't know how to hide it. These are new taxes."
Food items under Malloy's budget would continue to be exempt from the sales tax and therefore not affected by the proposed coupon and discount exemption rollback which is projected to bring in $92 million in revenue over the two-year, nearly $40 billion budget. The coupon exemption is among many sales tax exemptions the new governor has proposed ending.
http://www.wfsb.com/news/27015141/detail.html
But...but...I thought Democrat tax policy was based on making the “rich” pay their “fair share.”
I guess the rich must have made their money by clipping coupons. Cause the Democrats wouldn’t single out for new taxes those lower-middle-class consumers who use coupons to stretch their food budgets. Surely they wouldn’t do that.
Conn. Gov. Also Considers Raising State Sales Tax To 6.35%
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Devotees of coupons and discounts are angry at Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposal to slap a new sales tax on the original price of a good or service rather than the discounted price.
Ending the sales tax exemptions for coupons, discounts and automobile trade-ins are among tax exemptions Malloy has proposed ending to help close the state's projected $3.5 billion deficit. For example, the tax would be imposed on the $30 price of a blouse, not the $15 sales price.
Gina Juliano learned firsthand after she lost her job in 2009 as a vice principal with the Hartford Public Schools, that coupons and sales can help a family make ends meet. She cut her budget for food, toiletries, pet supplies and paper goods from between $200 and $300 a week to $50.
"I turned to coupons because I would have lost my house and everything. I wouldn't have been able to survive," said Juliano, who now writes a blog in Connecticut called "Gina's Kokopelli" that tracks coupons, sales and bargains for other shoppers.
Like many avid couponers, Juliano pays little or nothing for items after matching coupons with sales. For example, she recently used a $3 coupon to buy a bottle of Gain fabric softener that was on sale for $2.99 at Rite Aid.
"Under his proposal, I would have to pay tax on that, which is not right because I didn't pay for the item," said Juliano, who runs classes on couponing. "Everybody who does this, it's not like they're rich. They're doing this to survive."
Benjamin Barnes, Malloy's budget chief, isn't a particular fan of the proposal. But said because of the state's deficit woes, the administration is forced to examine the numerous tax exemptions currently on the books.
"It's true, it's a new tax. It sucks," he said. "Every single one of those, however many, 20-odd taxes is a new tax and it sucks. I don't know how to hide it. These are new taxes."
Food items under Malloy's budget would continue to be exempt from the sales tax and therefore not affected by the proposed coupon and discount exemption rollback which is projected to bring in $92 million in revenue over the two-year, nearly $40 billion budget. The coupon exemption is among many sales tax exemptions the new governor has proposed ending.
http://www.wfsb.com/news/27015141/detail.html
But...but...I thought Democrat tax policy was based on making the “rich” pay their “fair share.”
I guess the rich must have made their money by clipping coupons. Cause the Democrats wouldn’t single out for new taxes those lower-middle-class consumers who use coupons to stretch their food budgets. Surely they wouldn’t do that.
