To The Editor:
The recent discussion by our legislature about a registration fee for people driving hybrid cars seems to be another way to say “tax.” If these forward-thinking legislators would open their minds further, I imagine they could discover all kinds of creative taxes.
For instance, how about a nonsmoking tax? Surely by not smoking we are depriving our state of much needed revenue.
The average price of a pack of cigarettes is $7.90 at Mehuron’s. The current state tax is 6 percent. At an average of a pack a day, the income to the state over a year is $1,730.10 per smoker.
What about those nonsmokers? If the state charged a nonsmoking tax of only 4 percent (we certainly don’t want to encourage smoking) the state would pick up much needed dollars on all those cigarettes not being smoked.
Of course, there are also nondrinkers who should pony up their share of the state liquor tax. And how about all those bikers who could be using cars and paying their share of the gas taxes?
I’m sure if the legislators put their minds to it they could come up with many more hair-brained schemes.
Art Conway
Waitsfield
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