Tag Archives: taxes

Openly gay California legislator Tom Ammiano’s bid to legalize and tax marijuana could come to the ballot in 2010. Right now 56% of voters in California favor legalization.

Mike Tidmus points us to this WCBS story in which NY state Sen. Ruben Diaz promises to use the tax-exempt pulpits of his followers to campaign for the defeat of politicians supporting of marriage equality. Sen. Diaz warned the governor that, even though Latinos traditionally vote Democrat, this is not the time to take their votes for granted. “If we …

Congress is considering adding a “sin tax” to sales of soft drinks, energy drinks, and other sweetened beverages both to reduce consumption and raise revenue for President Obama’s health care plan. The Senate Finance Committee has a session scheduled today to hear varying proposals from experts who’ve been looking for ways to help finance President Obama’s proposed universal health care …

Some of you weren’t too fond of the LGBT movement attempting to co-opt the tea baggers’ tax protests, but if you ARE interested, today the HRC, Join The Impact, and Marriage Equality USA are organizing at least 60 protests at U.S. Post Offices around the country to demand fair taxation for LGBT couples. It doesn’t matter how long a same-sex …

Those “revolutionary” tea parties planned around the nation for April 15th are no longer entirely owned by the wingnuts. Via press release from Join The Impact: This tax day, the LGBT community is demanding equal rights for equal taxation. Massachusetts citizens will be gathering at the Long Wharf dock, near the site of the original Boston Tea Party, from 5:30pm …

Wait, what? The New York legislator who brought the nation its first law against driving while using a cell phone is proposing a $10 tax for patrons of nude and seminude dance clubs and strip bars. Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, a Bronx Democrat, says the revenue would go toward helping victims of human trafficking at a time when government budgets are …

Via their website: THE PLANShow up at a Starbucks on Tax Day at 7:15 AM, 12:15 PM, 5:15 PM, or 8:15 PM , buy a cuppa joe, then share a kiss with your sweetie, or a friend, or even a long-time crush! RAWR! INFOLGBT couples have yet to be granted the same rights to file our taxes jointly on a …

NY Gov. David Paterson is looking rilly rilly hard for new revenue streams. To that end, he is proposing a 4% sales tax on all digital products downloaded in New York. And since a huge throbbing wet hunk of that business is porn, the XXX world is not pleased. Now Gov. Paterson is rubbing the porn industry the wrong way. …

Last year the Catholic diocese in San Francisco reorganized their real estate holdings, prompting city tax assessors to deem the move a “sale” and therefore subject to $15M in property transfer taxes. Wingnuts are crying foul, claiming the city is retaliating against the church for supporting Proposition 8. From the Christianist news service, LifeSite: Assessor Phil Ting concluded that the …

Gays domestically-partnered in California are now protected from increased property taxes in the event of the death of one of the partners. (San Francisco, CA, January 3, 2008) – Today, in a major victory for same-sex couples, the California Supreme Court denied a petition by county assessors seeking review of a California Court of Appeal decision affirming the validity of …

New Yorkers won’t be surprised to hear that the combined city/state tax bite for residents is 47% higher than than the average tax bite for the 8 other cities in the country with a population of greater than 1 million. The combined taxes per $100 of gross taxable resources: 1. NYC – $9.022. Philadelphia – $7.163. Los Angeles – $6.884. …