What a bunch of half-wits. Starting this Saturday, January 1, Tennessee gets stupider. This seems to happen every time a bucket of new laws goes into effect. This one is particularly rich, however.

State to tax illegal drugs

In short, Tennessee is going to somehow tax drug dealers. That’s right, all those south Memphis crack dealers, East Nashville smack peddlers and UT athletic dorm dope distributors will have to either voluntarily pay takes on their earnings or pay a fine when they finally get caught.

How will the revenue actually be collected?

That’s going to happen.

While this new law will probably raise your average drug dealer’s cost of doing business (the ones careless enough to get busted, that is), it is a shining example of the complete lack of logic inherent in our state legislature. Additionally, once these hayseed politicians get dollar signs in their eyes, they’ll buy into any new revenue scheme, no matter how far-fetched.

The mixed message the state sends is:

Drugs are bad. Don’t do drugs. Don’t sell drugs. Although, if you’re going to sell drugs, please voluntarily pay taxes on your profits. In fact, if you’re going to sell drugs, sell an assload of them, so that we can really rake in the revenue from your entrepreneurial efforts.

How has this law worked in North Carolina, the state with the model we’re following?

What the hell were those 79 people thinking? They must have been stoned when they voluntarily bought tax stamps. Let’s hope they didn’t use a personal check to pay for them.

The state legislature needs to drop the charade and legalize marijuana if they want to create real tax revenue. It’s Tennessee’s number 1 or 2 cash crop - I can’t remember which, but it’s way up there. If you want tax revenue, legalize it, regulate it and fill your government coffers with more cash, that you will no doubt squander just as you do the taxpayer funds you already confiscate.

Is it too much to expect some honesty from these politicians?

Oh yeah, they’re politicians. Of course it is.

Posted by Preston Taylor Holmes @ 10:57 am
11 Comments and 1 Trackback | Permalink | Trackback URI

Comments

:: Trackbacks/Pingbacks ::

1. Tennessee To Tax Cocaine…
   …among other illegal drugs (via Six Meat Buffet).

   The Tennessean - Come the new year, the tax man is coming after drug dealers in Tennessee.

   Drug peddlers will be required to pay state excise taxes on illegal substances � from marijuana to mo…

   Trackback by Say Anything — Thursday, December 30, 2004 11:35 am | permalink

   
   

:: Comments ::

1. What’s also scary is that Tennessee is joining 22 other states with this!

   comment by stacy — Thursday, December 30, 2004 @ 12:00 pm

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2. this is actually making me laugh — you were right when you said this was stupid - - it is

   comment by Uptown Girl — Thursday, December 30, 2004 @ 12:47 pm

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3. It’s just chock full of absurdity isn’t it?!? Well, we have a lot of that in our state government. Glad I could give you a chuckle, Uptown Girl.

   comment by Preston Taylor Holmes — Thursday, December 30, 2004 @ 1:11 pm

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4. You know it does sound pretty stupid, but you need to look back a bit and it makes some sense. If you recall Al Capone was not ever convicted of murder or the like, he was busted for what, Tax Evasion. That’s right folks, while it may raise some money it is also another way to bust dope dealers at the state level.

   comment by Martini — Thursday, December 30, 2004 @ 1:51 pm

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5. I do recall that about Capone and you make a good point. However, I believe this particular law is more about revenue generation and less about law enforcement - but I could be mistaken (*gasp*). Maybe I am being a little hard on the legislature, but it’s not like they haven’t earned it, the bastards.

   comment by Preston Taylor Holmes — Thursday, December 30, 2004 @ 1:57 pm

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6. Oh, hell no you are not being to hard on the legislature. They are a bunch of thieving bastards. I was only pointing out that it may have more than one purpose.

   comment by Martini — Thursday, December 30, 2004 @ 2:49 pm

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7. I smell what you’re cooking.

   comment by Preston Taylor Holmes — Thursday, December 30, 2004 @ 3:10 pm

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8. “Its law was modeled after North Carolina’s, which has collected $83 million in the 14 years it has been on the books”

   It was later revealed that it only costs them $20 million a year in overhead to collect the tax.

   comment by Digger — Thursday, December 30, 2004 @ 4:16 pm

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9. Digger, that’s a small price to pay for an ever-exploding bureaucracy now, isn’t it?

   comment by Preston Taylor Holmes — Thursday, December 30, 2004 @ 7:08 pm

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10. The days of Capone are long gone and while a good point to make I don’t see this being the reason for the new laws - - I have to agree with Preston that it’s about the bucks and not so much about law enforcement.

    I’m curious about the $83 million Digger mentioned - - how many arrests went along with that?

    comment by Uptown Girl — Thursday, December 30, 2004 @ 7:43 pm

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11. I misunderstood Digger’s comment - - thanks Preston for clearing it up for me - - just goes to show I shouldn’t do a dozen things at one time

    comment by Uptown Girl — Friday, December 31, 2004 @ 11:43 am

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