We're hearing about all kinds of ideas these days for enhancing government revenues without punishing the same old victims — the payers of the property tax. Executives and legislators are having to become creative in finding new ways to pay the bills.
We knew it was coming, of course. For three years now, revenues have shrunk and expenses ballooned.
New government taxes and fees are generally anathema to the general populace. Governments should be finding ways to cut expenses first and, only after that avenue is fully exploited, find the least painful ways of raising money.
That seems to be what the Franklin County Legislature is aiming for. In a move to collect desperately needed revenue, members are considering putting a $30 monthly charge on people convicted of driving while intoxicated. The result could be $25,000 a year or more for the Probation Department.
While the suggestion may draw the usual reaction from anti-government advocates — it's still another way for government to get into our pockets — it at least targets those pockets in an effort to take some of the burden off the property-tax payer.
And whose pockets does it target? People who have intentionally broken the law. It shouldn't break anybody's heart to see a drunk driver assessed $30 a month, particularly if that amount can be kept off the property tax.
A side benefit is it may prove a slight deterrent for some people who might consider driving while intoxicated. It won't wipe out the crime, of course, but it could help some.
It reflects similar thinking that goes into the soaring taxes put on discount cigarette online products. Mind you, we're not comparing drunk drivers with smokers, but smoking cigarettes harms us all — not just the smokers — by raising the cost of health care for everyone. By increasing the cost of cigarettes, the cost of government is defrayed and smokers are coaxed into trying to quit their dangerous and costly habit. Costly for all of us.
Increasing the penalty for drunk driving is not a bad idea at all, and the outcome would be a benefit for the general population of Franklin County.
People convicted of drunk driving would be evaluated to be sure they can afford the fee. That would be a difficult call, in some cases, but Probation Director Denise McLane isn't shy about taking it on.
And if people don't pay promptly, the reinstatement of their driving privileges could be delayed. There are ways to make this work.
Clinton County already has this system in place. Franklin County could use the money, and another weapon in the arsenal against driving while intoxicated should be welcome.
It's hard to find fault with the whole idea.
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driving, government, intoxicated
New York's adult smoking cigarettes rate fell to record low of 14 percent in 2010, said Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has led the city's effort to curb buy cigarettes use for the past nine years.
The rate dropped from 22 percent in 2002, meaning about 450,000 fewer people are smoking cigarettes, the mayor said. New York's rate among high school students decreased to 7 percent last year from 18 percent in 2001, as the U.S. rate fell to 19 percent from 29 percent, he said. The smoking cigarettes decline will translate to 50,000 deaths prevented by 2052, Bloomberg said.
“New York City for an awful lot of people sets the style -- people copy New York City,” Bloomberg, who quit smoking cigarettes about 30 years ago, said today at a press conference in Queens. “So the fact that we've made all this progress here really will help the entire country.”
Bloomberg, 69, has made the battle against smoking cigarettes a hallmark of his mayoral tenure. In 2002, he worked with the City Council to ban smoking cigarettes in offices, bars and restaurants. He also rolled out a media campaign with graphic depictions of the harmful effects of smoking cigarettes, cracked down on illegal cigarette sales and increased discount cigarette online taxes. In May, the city extended the smoking cigarettes ban to parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas.
The efforts coincide with the city's other health initiatives, such as reducing sodium content in foods and increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables in low-income neighborhoods.
New York, the most-populous U.S. city, with 8.2 million residents, is seeking to lower the adult smoking cigarettes rate to 12 percent by next year, Health Commissioner Thomas Farley told reporters at the press briefing. Staten Island remains the borough with the highest smoking cigarettes rate, he said. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in New York, Bloomberg said.
The mayor is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.
The rate dropped from 22 percent in 2002, meaning about 450,000 fewer people are smoking cigarettes, the mayor said. New York's rate among high school students decreased to 7 percent last year from 18 percent in 2001, as the U.S. rate fell to 19 percent from 29 percent, he said. The smoking cigarettes decline will translate to 50,000 deaths prevented by 2052, Bloomberg said.
“New York City for an awful lot of people sets the style -- people copy New York City,” Bloomberg, who quit smoking cigarettes about 30 years ago, said today at a press conference in Queens. “So the fact that we've made all this progress here really will help the entire country.”
Bloomberg, 69, has made the battle against smoking cigarettes a hallmark of his mayoral tenure. In 2002, he worked with the City Council to ban smoking cigarettes in offices, bars and restaurants. He also rolled out a media campaign with graphic depictions of the harmful effects of smoking cigarettes, cracked down on illegal cigarette sales and increased discount cigarette online taxes. In May, the city extended the smoking cigarettes ban to parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas.
The efforts coincide with the city's other health initiatives, such as reducing sodium content in foods and increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables in low-income neighborhoods.
New York, the most-populous U.S. city, with 8.2 million residents, is seeking to lower the adult smoking cigarettes rate to 12 percent by next year, Health Commissioner Thomas Farley told reporters at the press briefing. Staten Island remains the borough with the highest smoking cigarettes rate, he said. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in New York, Bloomberg said.
The mayor is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.
South Beloit's municipal government denied the renewal of buy cigarettes vending licenses for two city businesses, and now one of the retailers plans to contest the action with a lawsuit.
Applications for discount cigarette online selling licenses are due at the end of June, said Mayor Mike Duffy. But the submissions from Tobacco Center & Gifts, 900/902 Blackhawk Blvd., and SB Smoke Shop, 420 Blackhawk Blvd., were late and incomplete, he said.
As a result, both businesses were ordered to stop selling cigarettes store products around Aug. 19, Duffy said. He expects both retailers to re-apply.
Anthony Taylor, an employee at Tobacco Center & Gifts, said his business is being unfairly punished and said the store's owner has hired an attorney. Submitting paperwork after its due date has generally not caused such a stir in the past, he said, and the shop's multiple attempts to contact Duffy or someone suitable in the city government have gone unanswered.
"We've been trying to get a hold of him every day," Taylor said.
Posted on the store's front door, a small white sign reads, "Smokers, let our voice be heard. Call the Mayor ... or visit City Hall and help us keep our business open. We are a law abiding business and only wish to sell our products without prejudice."
Telephone numbers for the mayor and city clerk are listed on take-away tabs of paper.
Taylor said the city accepted the shop's $35 application fee and allowed it to operate for about one month before saying online cigarettes sales had to stop. About 500 customers visit the store each week, he said.
"It's a big shock when we go and buy $10,000 worth of cigarettes," he said.
Although the attorney Tobacco Center & Gifts hired could not be contacted, Beloit-based lawyer Bill Cunningham did offer some opinions on the matter.
He, too, said late applications generally do not result in outright denials. With the local economy in tough shape, shutting down business should not be at the top of the city's priority list, he said.
"I think they're unduly punishing this guy," Cunningham said. "This is one instance when the city should have butted out."
No one at SB Smoke Shop could be reached as of press time. The store was closed and had a large sign near its entrance stating the shop was undergoing renovations.
Taylor said representatives from Tobacco Center & Gifts will attend the next South Beloit City Council meeting. With a lawyer on hand, and possible lawsuit pending, Taylor said he hopes the issue will be resolved.
Duffy reaffirmed the applications were denied only because they were late and incomplete.
However, he did say the city is looking at various ordinances to limit the number of cheap cigarettes sellers.
"My hope is that at some point in time, someone who sells cheap cigarette online - at least 50 percent of what they sell will have to be something else," Duffy said.
Applications for discount cigarette online selling licenses are due at the end of June, said Mayor Mike Duffy. But the submissions from Tobacco Center & Gifts, 900/902 Blackhawk Blvd., and SB Smoke Shop, 420 Blackhawk Blvd., were late and incomplete, he said.
As a result, both businesses were ordered to stop selling cigarettes store products around Aug. 19, Duffy said. He expects both retailers to re-apply.
Anthony Taylor, an employee at Tobacco Center & Gifts, said his business is being unfairly punished and said the store's owner has hired an attorney. Submitting paperwork after its due date has generally not caused such a stir in the past, he said, and the shop's multiple attempts to contact Duffy or someone suitable in the city government have gone unanswered.
"We've been trying to get a hold of him every day," Taylor said.
Posted on the store's front door, a small white sign reads, "Smokers, let our voice be heard. Call the Mayor ... or visit City Hall and help us keep our business open. We are a law abiding business and only wish to sell our products without prejudice."
Telephone numbers for the mayor and city clerk are listed on take-away tabs of paper.
Taylor said the city accepted the shop's $35 application fee and allowed it to operate for about one month before saying online cigarettes sales had to stop. About 500 customers visit the store each week, he said.
"It's a big shock when we go and buy $10,000 worth of cigarettes," he said.
Although the attorney Tobacco Center & Gifts hired could not be contacted, Beloit-based lawyer Bill Cunningham did offer some opinions on the matter.
He, too, said late applications generally do not result in outright denials. With the local economy in tough shape, shutting down business should not be at the top of the city's priority list, he said.
"I think they're unduly punishing this guy," Cunningham said. "This is one instance when the city should have butted out."
No one at SB Smoke Shop could be reached as of press time. The store was closed and had a large sign near its entrance stating the shop was undergoing renovations.
Taylor said representatives from Tobacco Center & Gifts will attend the next South Beloit City Council meeting. With a lawyer on hand, and possible lawsuit pending, Taylor said he hopes the issue will be resolved.
Duffy reaffirmed the applications were denied only because they were late and incomplete.
However, he did say the city is looking at various ordinances to limit the number of cheap cigarettes sellers.
"My hope is that at some point in time, someone who sells cheap cigarette online - at least 50 percent of what they sell will have to be something else," Duffy said.
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