How the rich get richer

[JW Frogen]

There is a psychological factor in the perception of poverty.

I remember during the LA riots, the Rodney King riots (so many riots to choose from in LA) a South African journalist saying that most of the people who were rioting had a house, a car, TVs, that in South Africa they would have seen themselves as middle class.

In any nation if the wealthy get richer and richer and large numbers of people see their incomes remain stagnant or decline, no matter where they are financially, there will come a boiling point.

 

[Intense]

Where The State gets richer. New York Taxing Haunted Houses. LOL. You have got to love the way they think. It is just so endearing. I think it's getting near time to restock the pond, or is that what open borders is already doing?

New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Office of Counsel Advisory Opinion Unit
TSB-A-10(11)S
Sales TaxMarch 26, 2010
STATE OF NEW YORK
COMMISSIONER OF TAXATION AND FINANCE
ADVISORY OPINION PETITION NO. S091207B
On December 7, 2009, the Department of Taxation and Finance received a Petition for Advisory Opinion from name and address redacted. Petitioner asks whether its admission charges are subject to sales tax. Petitioner charges admission to places of amusement. These charges are subject to sales tax.
Facts
Petitioner operates on a seasonal basis a group of haunted houses that patrons pay admission to enter. The attractions are located in a central location in the name of city redacted area. Patrons can pay admission on- site or at outlets in the name of city redacted area. The main building containing the haunted house has an entertainment area, which patrons can enter for free. A video screen in this area displays trailers and clips of scary movies. Another video screen displays music videos, interviews with patrons, and a clip from the Travel Channel reviewing the haunted house. Music is played in the entertainment area; a DJ is on hand during periods of high attendance. Costumed performers entertain patrons in this area. Petitioner operates a snack counter in this area that sells soft drinks and snacks.
The haunted houses are 60-80 feet wide and 40-48 feet deep (approximately 4800 square feet). No live performers work in the haunted houses. The haunted houses are registered with New York State as amusement rides. Patrons can stay in haunted houses as long as they want. The admission charges to the haunted houses range from 17 to 20 dollars.
The haunted houses are open only during October and early November.
On occasion, during the period the haunted houses are open, musical concerts are held in the main building. Petitioner charges admission to these concerts. The average concert admission price is approximately 40 dollars. Patrons who pay this admission charge are permitted to enter the haunted houses.
Analysis
Section 1105(f)(1) imposes sales tax on “any admission charge where such admission charge is in excess of ten cents to or for the use of any place of amusement in the state, except charges for admission to race tracks, boxing, sparring or wrestling matches or exhibitions which charges are taxed under any other law of this state, or dramatic or musical arts performances . . . or motion picture theaters, and except charges to a patron for admission to, or use of, facilities for sporting activities in which such patron is to be a participant, such as bowling alleys and swimming pools.” Section 1101(d)(2) of the Tax Law defines “admission charge” as the amount paid for admission, including any service charge and any charge for entertainment or amusement or for the use of the facilities therefore. Section 1101(d)(10) defines “place of amusement” as any place where any facilities for entertainment, amusement, or sports are provided. Petitioner’s haunted houses constitute places of amusement. See Fort William Henry Corp. v State Tax Commission, 52 Ad2d 664, 381 NYS2d 907; Haunted Haywagons, Rides, Inc., Adv Op
TSB-A-10(11)S Sales Tax March 26, 2010
- 2 Comm
T&F, May 15, 1992, TSB-A-92(40)S. Therefore, admission charges to Petitioner’s haunted houses are subject to sales tax.
Petitioner’s admission charge that allows a patron to attend a concert also allows the patron to enter the haunted houses. The admission charge to the haunted house alone is almost half the price of the admission charge for both the haunted house and concert. While an admission charge for just a dramatic or musical performance is not subject to sales tax, a charge is taxable under Tax Law section 1105(f)(1) if it permits admission to a site for a dramatic or musical performance and to an additional site that is a place of amusement subject to sales tax. See Dynamic Telephone Answering, Inc. v State Tax Commission, 135 AD2d 978, 522 NYS2d 386; lv denied 71 NY2d 801, 527 NYS2d 767 (1987) which held that a single charge for both the rental of taxable tangible personal property and the furnishing of nontaxable services is subject to sales tax. Petitioner in this scenario is bundling admission to two distinct forms of amusements. These amusements are distinct because admission to the haunted houses is sold separately and admission to the haunted houses is not integral to providing admission to a concert. Accordingly, Petitioner’s admission charge that allows a patron to attend a concert and to enter the haunted houses is subject to sales tax under section 1105(f)(1).
DATED: March 26, 2010 /S/ Jonathan Pessen Director of Advisory Opinions Office of Counsel
NOTE: An Advisory Opinion is issued at the request of a person or entity. It is limited to the facts set forth therein and is binding on the Department only with respect to the person or entity to whom it is issued and only if the person or entity fully and accurately describes all relevant facts. An Advisory Opinion is based on the law, regulations, and Department policies in effect as of the date the Opinion is issued or for the specific time period at issue in the Opinion

http://www.tax.state.ny.us/pdf/advisory_opinions/sales/a10_11s.pdf

 

[MarcATL]

Exactly. Beware of liberals who cry about "social justice," "spreading the wealth," and "making things fair."

They can't make everyone happy. They CAN make us all miserable.

They can't make us all rich. They CAN make us all poor.

They can't feed everyone. They CAN starve everyone.

They can't give quality healthcare to everyone. They CAN ration it so those they consider "inconvenient" die.

Study the Soviet Union. That's the ultimate in such social planning and it meant the death of millions.

When liberals cry about the "rich getting richer" and the "poor getting pooerer" what they really mean is people are making money they can't get their hands on, and it is just burning their butt, that is true.

I am all for social justice but it is real easy to be a liberal when you are using other people's $.

Social justice = socialism.

And socialism = what I listed above.

Let's put it this way.

You have no coat. I have two coats. Jesus says, if I have two coats and someone else has no coat, give the man a coat!

But Jesus doesn't say some government body should force me to give up my extra coat. It is done of my own free will.

Now I can choose to be a selfish a-hole and not give up my coat, and say to you, go down to the church food pantry where they have coats you can get. Which is true.

My husband used to volunteer at a food pantry. There was food, showers, clothes and an unemployment office. They weren't used. My husband stopped volunteering, because he got disgusted at the truth that most of the people coming were just drug addicts, and the food pantry was nothing more than a way to facilitate them continuing to be pan handlers and drug addicts.

Now, when I offer my coat, YOU can say, "it's July, I don't need a coat." Or you can say "It's July now, but, hey I will need that coat come Janary, Thanks!"

Either way, it's YOUR freedom to accept or reject that coat.

So, freedom works this way.

But with the government involved, they take both coats, keep one, and give the other coat to whomever they choose.

Now we BOTH don't have a coat. That may be "fair," but it sure isn't a consolation come January.

So we both go down to the food pantry for a coat, but they don't have coats either, because there are less coats to go around, thanks to the government taking them all.

Now, that's over simplified, because taxes are far more complex, but it does give you the idea of the difference between freedom and the "fairness" the government would give us.

Fairness is not freedom. Fairness is the worst form of oppression, and it always involves the government taking away a freedom in order to make it fair.

It won't put one dime in your pocket. It's just designed to make you feel better because your neighbor doesn't have a coat either.

I am NOT for social justice.

You haven't the FOGGIEST of what Social Justice is. I suggest you cease and desist from speaking about it as you're totally ignorant about it. That would alleviate your problems aka misconceptions. Thanks.

We sewer workers are proud of what we do for our society....unlike door to door salesmen

Actually I am very proud of what I do.

People who are proud of what they do are not elusive when asked what they sell. Only Amway dealers are deceptive about their product

LOL!! Good one. True, if you're so proud of what you do/sell...why not speak on it?

Your case sucks.

Governments needs to ensure equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. In other words, you have as much right to earn your fortune as the next guy.

It's up to you to make your fortune, not for anyone else to hand it to you.

So you're saying the goal in life for everyone is to make fortunes?

Why is it so hard to understand for you Peepers? Work Hard, Sacrifice, and you too can be one of the Evil Rich. Do nothing but sit on your ass and wind up poor. Its really up to you in the end. The poor are the ones who wind up living off of the welfare system created in this country by ALL politicians. The longer you stay there, the longer they stay in power. Once you can start thinking for yourself, the Gov't is in trouble. Start doing as CMike did and the Gov't gets scared. What is your discontent with the "RICH" people. Is it because you have not tasted the fruit of hard work and determination?

AKA Spend all your time and energy and efforts trying to figure out how to bilk your fellow man and you too can and will be rich.

 

[editec]

All the protesting about how unfair it is that the wealthy pay a large share of Federal Income taxes is true, of course.

Of course they make most of the money, and own most of the country, too, so that doesn't seem especially a problem to me who has so little by comparison.

The rich pay more, because they're the only people with they money to pay more.

They're easily able to end that unfairness, of course.

They can give away their investments and pay less taxes on their incomes right along with us deadbeats who are bearly making it, now.

Odd that people so concerned about social fairness, don't seem to mind that they benefit from the socially unfair system with them having so much while so many fine people aound them have so little.

But that isn't the sort of unfair state of affairs thing that the well off typically care about, is it?

Gee, I wonder why?

 

[The Rabbi]

You haven't the FOGGIEST of what Social Justice is. I suggest you cease and desist from speaking about it as you're totally ignorant about it. That would alleviate your problems aka misconceptions. Thanks.


L

Social justice=more tax money and corporate extortion for liberal groups.

 

[MarcATL]

Another IGNORAMUS, Rabbi...you're another one that never surprises me.

 

[The Rabbi]

Another IGNORAMUS, Rabbi...you're another one that never surprises me.

Please. Show me a "social justice" movement that does not demand more money from government or corporations.

 

[MarcATL]

Ignoramus, I'm not gonna play this silly RWnut game with you. Why don't YOU show me those that DO....FIRST?!??

 

[editec]

Another IGNORAMUS, Rabbi...you're another one that never surprises me.

Please. Show me a "social justice" movement that does not demand more money from government or corporations.

Woman's liberation movement.

Also, the Stoners' liberation movement...NORML for example

 

[Oddball]

Another IGNORAMUS, Rabbi...you're another one that never surprises me.

Please. Show me a "social justice" movement that does not demand more money from government or corporations.

Woman's liberation movement.

Sorry, no dice...See: Title 9.

Also, the Stoners' liberation movement...NORML for example

Naaaaaah!... they're more of a civil libertarian movement than a "social justice" movement.

Social justice has basically become code for "redistributive justice".

 

[Liability]

Another IGNORAMUS, Rabbi...you're another one that never surprises me.

Hey! It's Malcolm Ex-Lax back again to say stupid things.

Where the hell have you been Malcolm?

Good to see ya. Not surprised to see that your liberoidal / socialist value system hasn't changed on iota.

 

[Intense]

I am all for social justice but it is real easy to be a liberal when you are using other people's $.

Social justice = socialism.

And socialism = what I listed above.

Let's put it this way.

You have no coat. I have two coats. Jesus says, if I have two coats and someone else has no coat, give the man a coat!

But Jesus doesn't say some government body should force me to give up my extra coat. It is done of my own free will.

Now I can choose to be a selfish a-hole and not give up my coat, and say to you, go down to the church food pantry where they have coats you can get. Which is true.

My husband used to volunteer at a food pantry. There was food, showers, clothes and an unemployment office. They weren't used. My husband stopped volunteering, because he got disgusted at the truth that most of the people coming were just drug addicts, and the food pantry was nothing more than a way to facilitate them continuing to be pan handlers and drug addicts.

Now, when I offer my coat, YOU can say, "it's July, I don't need a coat." Or you can say "It's July now, but, hey I will need that coat come Janary, Thanks!"

Either way, it's YOUR freedom to accept or reject that coat.

So, freedom works this way.

But with the government involved, they take both coats, keep one, and give the other coat to whomever they choose.

Now we BOTH don't have a coat. That may be "fair," but it sure isn't a consolation come January.

So we both go down to the food pantry for a coat, but they don't have coats either, because there are less coats to go around, thanks to the government taking them all.

Now, that's over simplified, because taxes are far more complex, but it does give you the idea of the difference between freedom and the "fairness" the government would give us.

Fairness is not freedom. Fairness is the worst form of oppression, and it always involves the government taking away a freedom in order to make it fair.

It won't put one dime in your pocket. It's just designed to make you feel better because your neighbor doesn't have a coat either.

I am NOT for social justice.

You haven't the FOGGIEST of what Social Justice is. I suggest you cease and desist from speaking about it as you're totally ignorant about it. That would alleviate your problems aka misconceptions. Thanks.


LOL!! Good one. True, if you're so proud of what you do/sell...why not speak on it?

Your case sucks.

Governments needs to ensure equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. In other words, you have as much right to earn your fortune as the next guy.

It's up to you to make your fortune, not for anyone else to hand it to you.

So you're saying the goal in life for everyone is to make fortunes?

Why is it so hard to understand for you Peepers? Work Hard, Sacrifice, and you too can be one of the Evil Rich. Do nothing but sit on your ass and wind up poor. Its really up to you in the end. The poor are the ones who wind up living off of the welfare system created in this country by ALL politicians. The longer you stay there, the longer they stay in power. Once you can start thinking for yourself, the Gov't is in trouble. Start doing as CMike did and the Gov't gets scared. What is your discontent with the "RICH" people. Is it because you have not tasted the fruit of hard work and determination?

AKA Spend all your time and energy and efforts trying to figure out how to bilk your fellow man and you too can and will be rich.

Why waste your time thinking at all, when there is a Government program waiting for you to sign up with comrade. Come and get it, it's free right? Who cares about who gets the bill as long as it is not you or I, right? Real moral value in that.

 

[Intense]

The beginning of social Justice is living within your own means. Keep the predators without an in.

 

[The Rabbi]

Ignoramus, I'm not gonna play this silly RWnut game with you. Why don't YOU show me those that DO....FIRST?!??

ANy org even marginally associated with Jesse Hymietown Jackson or Al Sharpton.

 

[CMike]

LOL!! Good one. True, if you're so proud of what you do/sell...why not speak on it?

Because this is a public message board and I don't wish to.

So you're saying the goal in life for everyone is to make fortunes?

No.

What I am saying is that there is no caste system in America. You have as much right to make as much money as you can, as the next guy.

 

[CMike]

Social justice=looting producers and giving the loot to the non producers, while Barak Hussein exempts his producer friends from these laws.

 

[The T]

LOL!! Good one. True, if you're so proud of what you do/sell...why not speak on it?

Because this is a public message board and I don't wish to.

So you're saying the goal in life for everyone is to make fortunes?

No.

What I am saying is that there is no caste system in America. You have as much right to make as much money as you can, as the next guy.

Indeed. And instead of working harder to change their circumstance(s), they whine to Government to punish those that work harder than they.

 

[CMike]

I know it's depressing.

I really wish for their own sake that they would realize that it is in their own power to change their own circumstances. It may not be easy, but it can be done.

 

[rightwinger]

The Distribution of Wealth in this country

Wealth Distribution in U.S. Unacceptably Unequal

Assume there are 100 people who have $100 to split up. No one expects it to be divided perfectly evenly at $1 apiece, but everyone involved expects that some basic fairness will be used in the process that will split up the money.

In the US the $100 winds up being divided as follows:

1 person gets $38.10
4 people get $5.32 each
5 people get $2.30 each
10 people get $1.25 each
20 people get .60 each
20 people get .23 each
40 people get 1/2 cent each

 

[Oddball]

Wealth isn't distributed, it's earned....It's only those who want to do the confiscating and redistributing of others' earned wealth, and their willing useful idiot accomplices, who prattle on and on about "wealth distribution".

That basic lesson in economic freedom 101 was free.