Discussion about hot topics trending today

[Annoyed]

Is that how you came up with the 50% tax rate of yours?

Of course. You have to count all of it. You have to pay the tax, right? Why shouldn't it be counted?

[Annoyed]

*snicker*
Yeah, I know, this is of little interest nationally, NY is about as corrupt as it gets, but just maybe we can get rid of this megalomaniac tax & spend liberal. At the very leasrt, it should put the kibosh on any plans he has of inflicting himself on the rest of the country in 2020.

FBI probing Cuomo office's hiring practices

The FBI is investigating the Cuomo administration's practice of hiring employees to work in the governor's office while actually paying them through various state agencies and public authorities, the Times Union has learned.

Hiring pricey political appointees to work for the Executive Chamber — but paying them through other entities — has allowed Cuomo and prior governors to increase the size of their staffs while escaping criticism for inflating the Executive Chamber budget.

In recent months, however, FBI agents have interviewed a number of people who work for the governor's office, but are paid by separate state agencies or authorities, about the circumstances of their hirings, according to people familiar with the matter.

And if that's not good enough, in today's climate, this ought to be.
Ex-DMV worker: New York Gov. Cuomo ignored sex assault claims

Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo repeatedly ignored a woman’s complaints about a “barrage” of unwanted sexual advances by one of his appointees, according to a federal lawsuit filed Saturday in New York City.

Lisa Marie Cater, 51, alleges that William “Sam” Hoyt, the former regional president of the public-benefit corporation Empire State Development Corp., stalked, groped and kissed her without consent for approximately one year, the New York Post reported.

Cater claims she was given the runaround when she called Cuomo’s office twice to complain about Hoyt’s conduct, the Post reported. She then emailed a complaint to the governor’s office and sent a message to Cuomo’s Facebook page, but was ignored each time, according to her lawsuit.

[aretood2]

Really?
I think you need more information to -not- find it offensive.
When you think of chewing gum, do you think of it as the pristine strip you find in the packet, or the crap you scrape off the kids desks?

I just don't have that mindset. And the answer would be the pristine strip. Doesn't everyone?

Of course. You have to count all of it. You have to pay the tax, right? Why shouldn't it be counted?

That's misleading. Not to mention food, most clothing, and reselling several other items isn't taxed here

[Ian-S]

When was the last time a Tax bill was voted on without anyone reading it or knowing what was written inside -- handwritten no less -- in your country?

Cause there sure wasn't anything of the sort in mine.

We don't have that kind of system, the chancellor announces what he's going to do in the budget, and his party vote it through, the only time it wouldn't happen is if there were government rebels voting against it, or we had a minority ruling government.

The latest cockup is universal credit (tax credits) where it was voted through without anybody knowing the finer details, when they were finally announced, it was so ****ed up that half the people who voted it through said they wouldn't have had they known the details.

And let's not mention Brexit where there were no details other than "we're leaving and we'll sort the details out later" in the bill.

Not technically taxes, but the budget is mostly taxes, and Brexit is going to saddle the next generations with huge taxes to pay for it. Our country is run by a bunch of idiots.

[Annoyed]

I just don't have that mindset. And the answer would be the pristine strip. Doesn't everyone?



That's misleading. Not to mention food, most clothing, and reselling several other items isn't taxed here

Most groceries aren't taxed here, restaurant and take out is. Clothing is taxed. So is almost everything else. Including used cars, if you can believe that. You buy a used car, you have to get a receipt from the seller and you are charged sales tax on that. If you don't have a receipt you are taxed at the blue book value of the vehicle. So, if a car is sold 3-4 times during its lifetime, NY collects sales tax each time. Hell, NY levies taxes on your tax refunds from the prior year. You pay taxes on your 5 cents bottle deposits, but that isn't refunded when you return the bottles... I could go on, but I think you get the point.

[Gatefan1976]

I just don't have that mindset. And the answer would be the pristine strip. Doesn't everyone?

No. Even in a sample size of 4 you have 2 different interpretations of 1 analogy, which was my point.
Just use pictures.

[aretood2]

Most groceries aren't taxed here, restaurant and take out is. Clothing is taxed. So is almost everything else. Including used cars, if you can believe that. You buy a used car, you have to get a receipt from the seller and you are charged sales tax on that. If you don't have a receipt you are taxed at the blue book value of the vehicle. So, if a car is sold 3-4 times during its lifetime, NY collects sales tax each time. Hell, NY levies taxes on your tax refunds from the prior year. You pay taxes on your 5 cents bottle deposits, but that isn't refunded when you return the bottles... I could go on, but I think you get the point.

Let me know when they start taxing your vegetable garden.

No. Even in a sample size of 4 you have 2 different interpretations of 1 analogy, which was my point.
Just use pictures.

The way I see some people speaking about these things, at this point I expect to see anything from "Looking at a girl makes her pregnant" to getting volunteers to have sex in front of the audience. Chewing gum...alone...it doesn't make sense to me. So I looked it up and saw exactly what they were saying in reference to the gum. I don't think the gum is the issue but rather the message. Once you have sex, you're spoiled goods.

[Annoyed]

Let me know when they start taxing your vegetable garden.

Welcome to NY.

Note that they do not say this is a complete list, it states that they are examples.
Oh, and there is also property tax on the land it is growing on.

https://www.tax.ny.gov/pubs_and_bull...d_services.htm

Examples of taxable tangible personal property, services, and transactions that are subject to sales tax are:

tangible personal property:
furniture, appliances, and light fixtures;
certain clothing and footwear;
machinery and equipment, parts, tools, and supplies;
computers;
prewritten (canned/off-the-shelf/standard) computer software (whether transferred by CD-ROM, Internet download, remote access, etc.);
motor vehicles;
boats and yachts (however, see also TSB-M-15(2)S, Changes to the Application of Sales and Use Tax to Vessels);
fuels (for example, gasoline, diesel fuel, and kero-jet fuel);
candy and confections;
bottled water;
soda and beer;
cigarettes and tobacco products;
cosmetics and toiletries;
jewelry;
artistic items such as sketches, paintings, and photographs;
animals (for example, dogs, cats, or pet birds);
food and supplies for animals;
trees, shrubs, and seeds;
coins and other monetary items, when purchased for purposes other than for use as a medium of exchange;
building materials; and
prepaid telephone calling cards.
restaurant food and drink;
utility and (intrastate) telecommunication services;
telephone answering services;
prepaid telephone calling services;
mobile telecommunication services;
certain information services;
processing, fabricating, printing, or imprinting of tangible personal property for a customer who furnishes the tangible personal property and doesn’t plan to resell it;
maintaining, installing, servicing, and repairing of tangible personal property;
storing tangible personal property (does not include certain rentals of mini-storage units that constitute the rental of real property - see Tax Bulletin Household Movers and Warehousers - General (permanent) storage and portable storage containers (TB-ST-340) and TSB-M-86(3)S, Taxable Status of the Rental of Self-Service Mini-Storage Units);
maintaining, servicing, and repairing real property;
certain parking and garaging or storing of motor vehicles;
interior decorating and design services;
protective and detective services;
passenger transportation services with a driver using limousines, black cars, and certain other motor vehicles (not including taxi and bus services - see TSB-M-09(7)S, Additional Guidance Relating to the Sales Tax on Certain Transportation Services), and TSB-M-13(2)S, Revised Policy Concerning the Application of the Sales Tax Exclusion for Certain Transportation Services Provided by an Affiliated Livery Vehicle in New York City;
furnishing or providing entertainment or information by telephony or telegraphy or by telephone or telegraph service, provided, for example, over phone numbers with an 800 or 900 prefix;
hotel occupancy;
admission charges to a place of amusement;
social and athletic club dues; and
certain portions of cabaret charges.

[Gatefan1976]

You missed Toods point.
You pay tax on the seeds, sure, you buy them, they do not come around and tax the produce you grow from those seeds as long as it is for your own use.

[Gatefan1976]

The way I see some people speaking about these things, at this point I expect to see anything from "Looking at a girl makes her pregnant" to getting volunteers to have sex in front of the audience. Chewing gum...alone...it doesn't make sense to me. So I looked it up and saw exactly what they were saying in reference to the gum. I don't think the gum is the issue but rather the message. Once you have sex, you're spoiled goods.

Yes, you are the dirty, used piece of gum.
Again, show pictures.

[pookey]

There would have probably been an uproar about that as well GF, you cant win with some people

And as for the fairytales, well, just a woman looking for her '15 minutes'

[Annoyed]

The way I see some people speaking about these things, at this point I expect to see anything from "Looking at a girl makes her pregnant" to getting volunteers to have sex in front of the audience. Chewing gum...alone...it doesn't make sense to me. So I looked it up and saw exactly what they were saying in reference to the gum. I don't think the gum is the issue but rather the message. Once you have sex, you're spoiled goods.

Of course the real problem is the message opposing promiscuity, not the analogy. Can't go around encouraging responsible behavior, can we?

[Gatefan1976]

There would have probably been an uproar about that as well GF, you cant win with some people

Prudes, they don't deserve sex.

And as for the fairytales, well, just a woman looking for her '15 minutes'

Not sure what you mean Pooks, can you elaborate?
I get the "15 minutes of fame" sarcasm, I miss the fairytale part.

[Gatefan1976]

Of course the real problem is the message opposing promiscuity, not the analogy. Can't go around encouraging responsible behavior, can we?

How's this.
Encourage masturbation, that way you can go F_ck Y__rs_lf with impunity, and not be promiscuous.
But masturbation is a sin, so you are screwed either way.
But it would be responsible............

[Annoyed]

How's this.
Encourage masturbation, that way you can go F_ck Y__rs_lf with impunity, and not be promiscuous.
But masturbation is a sin, so you are screwed either way.
But it would be responsible............

I have no problem with that.