eBay and Colorado 6.5% excise tax

[eddiememphis]

Everyone here surely agrees that NO tax legitimately serves to provide for the safety of anything. Ever. At all.

Other than police, fire, EMS, courts, roads, bridges, dams, traffic controls, building code inspections, emergency management, banking regulators, search and rescue, national defense and health departments, you're right.

[theGinsue]

Then tell me again how any of those things were paid for before we instituted most of the taxes we have today? Because most, if not all, of those things were being handled quite effectively before most of the taxes we see today (and those taxes that did exist were at considerably lower rates).

[eddiememphis]

In the early US, they were funded locally through property taxes, fees, tolls, forced labor, tariffs, land sales, donations, and volunteers. Many modern safety functions simply didn’t exist or were extremely limited. They were generally underfunded, unregulated and performed poorly.

We may be talking about two different eras, though. I am thinking 1770 through around 1850 when the industrial revolution moved more people to cities where safety services became more organized, standardized and better funded.

[XJ]

In the early US, they were funded locally through property taxes, fees, tolls, forced labor, tariffs, land sales, donations, and volunteers. Many modern safety functions simply didn’t exist or were extremely limited. They were generally underfunded, unregulated and performed poorly.

We may be talking about two different eras, though. I am thinking 1770 through around 1850 when the industrial revolution moved more people to cities where safety services became more organized, standardized and better funded.

How about any of the new taxes and "fees" of the last say 10 years that have been nothing more than govt BS. Where did the billion+ collected from MJ end up - nobody knows.

[theGinsue]

You've made some good points EddieMemphis. I'll admit to not being 100% correct in my previous tax statement. But, as XJ points out, most of the taxes are BS (particularly those created in the last 10 years).

As taxpayers, we're being fleeced at an outrageous rate and little of the monies collected actually go towards what they claim to go to.

[eddiememphis]

I wholeheartedly agree that there are way too many taxes that go to wasted programs.

[exxonv]

Somebody has to pay for the first gentleman's wolf program... Colorado taxes SUCK, but the weather and the beautiful mountains... Why do Liberals have to screw everything up all the damn time....