NYC Tax Plan

So now that the US economy and those of many other countries worldwide have been sucked into the deep maelstrom of shitstorm, government officials are doing their best in finding a way out. New York has had an issue of a budget deficit for many years going, and it has steadily increased to $15 billion now. This has resulted in Gov. Patterson planning an “overload blitz” tax of some sorts, with 137 new or increased taxes. These things include soft drinks, cigarettes, alcohol, clothing, game tickets, etc. Basically its a huge tax on luxury goods. 

Some of the taxes on goods are useful in some perspectives. The soft drink tax has been tabbed to combat the trend of youth obesity. There’s even a plastic bag tax for grocery bags, in an environmental stand to reduce plastic usage. And many of these taxes are targetted at the upper class, so they won’t be really hurt by this.

While I agree that this deficit must be dealt with, I am afraid with how this will affect the middle to lower class people in NYC. The soft drink tax could be detrimental to all those people who drink soda out there (a lot) and also another increase in the MTA fare will hurt as well. There’s also the increased tuition for city and state schools. 

Some people have resorted to ascetism, whether spiritual or voluntary in order to cut down on personal costs. Resorting to this kind of lifestyle is a challenge and not everyone will be able to handle it. So it is not a solution for everyone. Everyone will have to deal with these taxes, the question is how many can make it out in one piece.

Moribund Banality

The semester is almost over, hopefully I won’t have to go through another semester like this. I just need to find clear focus and study for my 2 or 3 finals. I am still fiddling around with my schedule next semester, hoping to add a Baseball class. The chances are slim however, since it is waitlisted. 

There is nothing to talk about until later. A dead blog, a boring post.

What can I do.