Obama's Christmas Tree Tax: KnuckleHead Move?

[MMC]

http://news.yahoo.com/obamas-christmas-tree-tax-knucklehead-move-155900310.html

After conservatives howl over a proposed levy on Christmas tree growers, Team Obama reportedly backtracks on the 15-cents-per-tree fee

Welcome to the newest battle in the so-called war on Christmas: The Department of Agriculture wants to impose a 15-cent fee on each fresh-cut Christmas tree produced or imported by large domestic Christmas tree companies — which proposed the fee themselves as a way to fund a new marketing campaign designed to boost sales in a sagging economy. The fee was supposed to take effect Wednesday, but Team Obama is reportedly delaying implementation after a massive uproar from conservatives. Was this so-called tax really a "knucklehead move"?

By charging 15 additional cents a tree, growers are hoping to raise $2 million a year to help promote holiday sales, says the Chicago Tribune, especially as more and more recession-battered consumers opt for artificial trees.

So Obama isn't behind this?
No. "It has absolutely nothing to do with Obama," National Christmas Tree Association spokesman Rick Dungey tells Talking Points Memo. And "it's not a tax." Growers have been planning this initiative "for three and a half years." The government is just implementing it. It's unfortunate that someone is trying "to smear" us. All we growers want is to pool our money to promote our crops.

American tree growers still market "an estimated 17 million fresh-cut Christmas trees each season," says Ann Compton at ABC News. "But the real Grinch for them is the artificial holiday tree, for which [annual] sales have topped 17.4 million.".....snip~

Really.....a Christmas Tree Tax. Planned 3 years ago. Did they forget people get older and they are not going to go thru the hassle of buying a Real Tree. I use to get a real Tree. 3 years ago we wnt to the artificial tree. Not to mention it saves money in the long run. I think we got ours on sale for like 59 dollars.

[wingrider]

yep .. they can take there tax and shove it.. I haven't bought a real tree in like 10 years, so it doesn't make me a damn what they do.

[Conley]

Always had a real tree, always will. I don't go for fakes when it comes to Christmas trees or boobs. It just doesn't feel right to me.

[jgreer]

So is this Obama's fault too? Who cares about a fifteen cent tax on a fifty dollar Christmas tree? Conservatives need smoething else to whine about.

[MMC]

So is this Obama's fault too? Who cares about a fifteen cent tax on a fifty dollar Christmas tree? Conservatives need smoething else to whine about.


Really.....wonder what it cost to transport a 200-300 ft tree. Which is then bought and paid for by Cities and towns all over America. Wonder how much NY spent for that Tree they got. What didnt that one come from New Hampshire. Couple of States and tolls. Why does the Town or City have to have a tree.

Here's a thought.....buy one now and plant it. Then in 50 years your town and city will have a gigantic tree. Another thing who pays for the Town and City halls to get decorated and have lights in all their Windows? Plus have a tree inside their building. Or set up displays. Why should taxpayers have to pay to Celebrate a holiday by Decorating public works and governmental buildings?

Wonder how much waste that is in America.....more than likely over a billion dollars. Perhaps you can tell Obama to give an order cutting this waste out. Like he is doing with travel, cellphones, lab-tops and swag. The sooner the better. Then we can save some more money. Why wait another year?

[Conley]

It's a war on Christmas! :o

All that spending stimulates the economy MMC, isn't that what they tell us? ;)

[MMC]

It's a war on Christmas! :o

All that spending stimulates the economy MMC, isn't that what they tell us? ;)


I got no problem with the citizens stimulating the economy. But Government shouldnt be spending money on holiday trinkets. Now if a somebody who works for the government wants to take their own money and decorate something in or on the building thats on them.

Althought truthfully I feel it Should be Zero tolerance. Not Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, or Easter. How many years have towns and cities been spending money on all of these. Like I stated billions in waste by Government. Federal, State, City, Town and village. To think they always spent more each year on the decorations. Some Cities get fireworks. Wonder how many budgets could have been made if they never wasted this type of money.