Taxing the Weather: Can We Just Go Ahead and Call It Tyranny?

[Doc Safari]

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-03-21/nj-governor-signs-rain-tax-bill-residents-property-rates-rise-based-weather


In what is one of the most corrupt and vile things to have ever happened to the American political system, residents of New Jersey will now be taxed when something 100% out of their control happens. New Jersey’s governor Phil Murphy signed 19 bills into law on Monday, one of which, was the so-called “rain tax.”


Unfortunately, there were supporters of this tyrannical and wholly dictatorial law. Dubbed S-1073, supporters call it “flood defense,” and say it will serve as a long-needed tool to manage flooding and dirty runoff from rainwater. So there are actually human beings on earth who want others and themselves stolen from because it rains. There is nothing more disturbing that the current political path the United States is currently one. It’s downright horrifying, actually.


“Most importantly, it gives communities a way to access new resources in a fair and equitable manner, and invest in related benefits such as additional green space. We urge the governor to sign it,” said New Jersey Future’s Chris Sturm, who serves as the advocacy group’s managing director for policy and water, according to a report by Patch.

Some have criticized the bill (albeit, now enough) saying that it would impose taxes “based on the weather” which is an unfair system of stealing the money of others. Obviously, if you have any heart at all. It also gives the government much more power and more authority to steal more money by expanding what’s already an overly unfair burden (all taxation is “unfair”) on New Jersey residents who were saddled with several new taxes in 2019.

Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips has said the “rain-tax” bill permits local communities to tax “based on the weather,” and allows unlimited bonding and debt to be placed on the backs of property taxpayers. Not that bonding and debt aren’t already on the backs of the taxpayer, it is, but now New Jersey gets to carry the financial burden when it rains. “The last thing this state needs is more debt and another runaway tax. Especially one that taxes the weather” said DePhillips.

The so-called soft socialism of western nations is just an illusion. Western nations are bankrupt, their economies are disintegrating before their very eyes and the promises of lifetime pensions, welfare and healthcare are nothing more than propaganda lies that voters willingly drink. In the end, they will have nothing and be much worse off. Such is the fate of a person who votes for the police powers of the state to steal from another to give them what they want but never earned. –Judy Morris Report

My take: Had Enough Yet? Maybe the people of New Jersey need to take some of that rain and water the tree of liberty.

[The_War_Wagon]

I'm up for paying a carbon tax, though.

I plan on depositing it in a paper bag, before placing it on my CONgress-critter's doorstep. Ring the doorbell, set it on fire, and walk away! :rolleyes:

[Doc Safari]

I'm up for paying a carbon tax, though.

I plan on depositing it in a paper bag, before placing it on my CONgress-critter's doorstep. Ring the doorbell, set it on fire, and walk away! :rolleyes:

There ya go. And if they ever decide to tax your frequency of taking a dump, I plan to provide them with as many parcels of direct evidence of my production as is reasonably feasible. I may even let it ripen first.

[SteyrAUG]

So if you are a homeowner if FLORIDA you are required to purchase a separate windstorm policy in addition to your homeowners insurance. This "add on" is frequently twice the cost of your standard homeowner insurance policy.

And part of that windstorm policy is a Katrina recovery fee that was not optional. So for all of the years I lived in FLORIDA, I was required to pay for insurance costs in LOUISIANA as a result of Katrina. I don't remember any other state helping defer my costs after Hurricane Wilma cranked us up, I do remember paying one hell of a deductible and the insurance company deciding to not cover a lot of my damage.

Insurance is basically a scam, especially when it's not optional.

[grizzlyblake]

I had to Google the law to see what it actually says. This article kind of sums it up. Basically if Walmart comes in and builds a gigantic asphalt parking lot the municipality would then be saddled with upgrading all the storm water drainage network downstream from it. As it stands now that money has to come from the municipality's budget. This law allows the municipality to specifically tax that Walmart to cover the cost of all the now necessary downstream infrastructure upgrades, instead of just eating it in the existing budget.

I may be missing the point but the law makes sense to me and doesn't seem tyrannical at all.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/environment/2019/03/18/murphy-signs-nj-rain-tax-into-law-heres-what-is-whos-paying/3201036002/

[Arik]

It's NJ! Here's my shocked and surprised face!

Next will be the air tax! Just watch. You'll have to pay more because you don't own a Tesla or you're taxed on the amount of breaths you take per min.

For a Pennsylvanian like me there is only one reason to go to NJ. Their liquor laws!

[Outlander Systems]

It’s total bullshit. This could be completely corralled using pervious pavers, infil-trenches, underground detention and other low-impact stormwater management BMPs. It’s an excuse to shear the sheep.

[26 Inf]

I had to Google the law to see what it actually says. This article kind of sums it up. Basically if Walmart comes in and builds a gigantic asphalt parking lot the municipality would then be saddled with upgrading all the storm water drainage network downstream from it. As it stands now that money has to come from the municipality's budget. This law allows the municipality to specifically tax that Walmart to cover the cost of all the now necessary downstream infrastructure upgrades, instead of just eating it in the existing budget.

I may be missing the point but the law makes sense to me and doesn't seem tyrannical at all.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/environment/2019/03/18/murphy-signs-nj-rain-tax-into-law-heres-what-is-whos-paying/3201036002/

Yep, I also found that article. I always try to drill down to a local news story for facts whenever possible, it cuts through a lot of 'the sky is falling, the sky is falling' rhetoric that some folks seem to like so much.

My middle sister was a city planner for a large city - 900,000ish population - her last project before she went to be the head honcho in another city was revising and rewriting the retail/commercial code. Her work has always fascinated me and I enjoy getting her going about her projects. Many cities are behind the eight ball on controlling run-off, as grizzyblake mentioned, that old parking lot catches a lot of rain and puts it right into the storm sewers.

Greenscaping is one way to contain/slow runoff as are those cute little lakes in the middle of the office park. So I would ass-u-me that new construction most places probably has to give lip service to mitigating runoff, and this act will allow cities to play catch up for drainage improvements - focused on the users.

Or, they could just pass the cost on to everyone.

[grizzlyblake]

Yeah I wonder what kind of reaction there would be if the law was the opposite and actually prevented additional taxes against corporations which in turn would allow the municipality to raise taxes on all property owners carte blanche to cover the costs caused by the Walmart parking lots and such. I imagine it would elicit lots of comments about cronyism, bankrolled politicians, etc.

I actually sold a house and moved out of a small town that allowed a huge manufacturing plant to be built and raised everyone else's property taxes to cover all the water and sewerage improvements the city had to do to support the plant.

[Dr. Bullseye]

Why isn't New Jersey satisfied with worrying about trans-sexual pronouns, global warming, and plastic straws like every other leftist government?

[flenna]

Tim Hawkins sums it up nicely in this little ditty.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2eh6f5Go0

[Arik]

Why isn't New Jersey satisfied with worrying about trans-sexual pronouns, global warming, and plastic straws like every other leftist government?Because then you're just like every other leftist government. You need something that makes you stand out, that makes you, you!

[docsherm]

So if you are a homeowner if FLORIDA you are required to purchase a separate windstorm policy in addition to your homeowners insurance. This "add on" is frequently twice the cost of your standard homeowner insurance policy.

And part of that windstorm policy is a Katrina recovery fee that was not optional. So for all of the years I lived in FLORIDA, I was required to pay for insurance costs in LOUISIANA as a result of Katrina. I don't remember any other state helping defer my costs after Hurricane Wilma cranked us up, I do remember paying one hell of a deductible and the insurance company deciding to not cover a lot of my damage.

Insurance is basically a scam, especially when it's not optional.

All insurance is optional...... now that that individual mandate for the ACA is gone.

[GH41]

I had to Google the law to see what it actually says. This article kind of sums it up. Basically if Walmart comes in and builds a gigantic asphalt parking lot the municipality would then be saddled with upgrading all the storm water drainage network downstream from it. As it stands now that money has to come from the municipality's budget. This law allows the municipality to specifically tax that Walmart to cover the cost of all the now necessary downstream infrastructure upgrades, instead of just eating it in the existing budget.

I may be missing the point but the law makes sense to me and doesn't seem tyrannical at all.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/environment/2019/03/18/murphy-signs-nj-rain-tax-into-law-heres-what-is-whos-paying/3201036002/

That's the way it works down here but they don't call it a tax. They call it an impact fee and payment is required before a building permit is issued. Even residential projects have to have an approved drainage plan and maintain an assigned ratio of impervious to pervious surfaces. I have no problem with it if the money is spent on what it is collected for. I do doubt that will be the case in NJ.

[Firefly]

What’s next a Thumb Tax?

[soulezoo]

I see what you did there

[tgizzard]

This type of tax, fee, Levy, whatever you want to call it has been in place on the municipal level for a long time. When I lived in Lakeland, FL 10 plus years ago the city charged a fee similar to this every month, it was included in our utility bill. The small town I currently live in also charges a similar fee, it’s labeled as a stormwater utility fee and it’s based on the amount of impervious surface on your property.

The simple fact is, there is a lot of impervious surface and the majority of MS4 systems (municipal separate storm sewer system) are old and outdated, so when it rains more than normal there is usually flooding in a lot of built up areas.

The money generated from the stormwater fee is used solely to improve and upgrade our city MS4 and I’m good with it, I don’t want to deal with flooding.

That article was a little bit clickbait. I like Zerohdge, but that site pushes a good amount of clickbait.



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