BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Tea Tax on Tea in Illinois!

As if Illinois hadn't suffered enough, our now Governor Pat Quinn is now going to attach a tax to the sale of tea and frappicinos in our state! Youch! He presented lawmakers with a plan to apply the states' tax to the coffee and sweetened tea products in grocery stores! For every $5.00 six pack of bottled green tea the state will take .25c please!

Although he is raising taxes on all kinds of things here from license plates to fishing licenses but really Mr. Quinn tea too?

Anyone have thoughts on this?
Mary Caliendo
Tea

There is somewhat of an ironic situation going on with this! Governor Quinn is taxing little things like hunting licenses, taxes on overdue library books, and the tea thing bothers me because not everyone drinks it/ nor makes it. It seems almost decriminatory in a way.
Pat Quinn's birthday is on the ann. of the Boston Tea Party!
And he personally led voters 30 years ago in sending used tea bags to the then governor. Launching his career as political activist! It seems it Governor Quinn is biting the hand that fed/or currently feeds him!

Thoughts on the tea tax?
Mary Caliendo
tea Editor

It seems that Governor Quinn had an axe to bear toward those who like tea, any thoughts or feelings on that tax? It seems kind of looney, like he should have taxed something that may be not so inclusive.
I hope other states don't adopt this! It seems like Illinois is just taxed to the hilt, and even on bottled tea; it's crazy!!

Mary Caliendo
Tea Editor

They are food products. I guess he's looking at it as a luxury tax. Send him the tea tags to remind him that you don't want to be taxed.

Angie, I may just use the tea protest, and by using tea mail he may get a kick out of it considering he has done it himself! I'll let the forum know what happens if anything!

I think it is nervy as his own parties president had announced that he likes to drink a particular bottled tea; It's just all ironic!

Mary Caliendo
Tea Editor

Just send the tag; bags will not make it to anyone's desk.

Angie, That sounds like a plan!

Mary Caliendo
Tea Editor

We tried to tax tea a couple of hundred years ago and look what happened to us. LOL

Zervia, yes you are so right! History often repeats itself though!

We should all try and have a bit of fun with it along with having a voice too!
Join in the fun!

Mary Caliendo
Tea Editor

The so -called "Tea Party Movement" story has now been picked up at Fox news.com see a story written by Peter Roff, senior fellow from UPI states that people are joining the effort of tea bags in the sea and sending of tea tags in the mail because they feel they are proactive in rebelling against the stimulus plan and the taes within.

this story placed #6 on the top blog posts of the day @ wordpress.com. Will you join in on your own Boston Tea Party against the dubbed stimulus plan, "porkulus"? Or practice tea mail? Or not protest at all?

Mary Caliendo
Tea Editor

I'm confused, why are they taxing tea and not coffee?

Lisa, I'm not sure why but Pat Quinn also imposed bottled frappicinos too along with the bottled green tea! It sounds crazy doesn't it? It's not like putting a tax on soda- the majority of people drink soda and the state would stand to make much more money! It's ironic that the new governor is so connected with tea. And that it was done as a partial joke, or he bites the hand that feeds him??? Some people forget where they come from. And doesn't it appear to be descrininatory?(in a way)

Mary Caliendo
Tea Editor

It looks for sure that Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is going to tax bottled tea- it will be going through. The way he is now wording it is tax on non carbonated drinks. Originally he said it will be on bottled tea, this way he will now get .25c on every purchase and with his new wording he can get juices too!
I wonder how much the governor intends to get per year out of this acquisition?
Mary Caliendo
Tea Editor

This has officially passed in our state (among the other rediculous taxes)

Bottled tea- Governor Quinn must see the trend, everyone is liking tea and the market is showing new influxes of tea products! Therefore, tax we must! Yikes

Mary Caliendo
Tea Editor

That's the answer to all the budget problems, tax as much as you can.

Isn't it just so sad that at a time in America, when times are so hard, they will continue to ask us all to reach into our pockets yet another time!

I don't know what the answer is but, there has to be some way creative way that we can generate funds, if not seek other than money. It seems like the politicians feel that throwing money at some problem will make the problem go away instead of finding out why the problem exists to begin with!

But of all the things lumped into this why tea?

Mary Caliendo
Tea Editor

The very random taxes will officially take place as of tomorrow in the great State of ILL!

Our state needs money$ so tax things like bottled teas,soft drinks (w/carbonation), wine & spirits,candy made w/flour?!It's so random and crazy! Glad I don't own a store, it would be hard to keep track of...

Mary Caliendo

This on top of different counties will also have a 1% general tax increase!!! This making Cook County (where city of Chicago is located)the highest in the nation!

Yee-owww!
That hurts.
Mary Caliendo

I really, really really want to feel sorry for you, but I live in NY and everytime you breathe it is a 1/10th cent tax. We pay 5 cents for every single bottle or can of anything we take out of a store. It is refundable, if you remember to take them back and aren't stuck behind the guy with 3 carts of empties! Or the scouts collect them, but sometimes it is a big shock to have to pay that extra. And the gov. wants to up it to a dime. Drink loose leaf tea!!

teafortoday- I have never lived in the NY, and I have heard that it was extreme, (like LA) to live & breathe as you so aptly put it there. We here in IL were commenting b/c gov. wants to "single-out" tea among other things that are already taxed upon a tax upon a tax!?!!

Gov. has "run out" of ideas on where to "rob" next monies from!! I pray for us all! It is rough for most of the largest of cities and at this point where it will stop no one knows!

Mary Caliendo

Here in New Mexico the Governor wants to tax all groceries at 7-8 % depending in the county and we live in one of the poorest and lowest populated states in the country.

I cannot imagine trying to squeeze a rock to get water, but constatly officials "borrow Peter to pay Paul", and nothing ever actually gets done.

In your state, wpuld it actually yield much anyway? Probably not. It makes him look like he may be addressing a problem, but he is not. Or that his hands are tied-less Fed. $ than ever.
Our country is a mess! Yor thoughts?

Mary Caliendo

I agree, the government has gotten way too big and they pay themselves far better than the average income of the citizens they represent, which I feel is quite unfair to us taxpayers. I don't think they should get raises unless the public ok's it, and I think the gifts and travel expenses should be thoroughly scrutinized by independent and changing firms and the results should be made public every year. That way the public can decide if the politician made good use of the funds they spent and if not they can be unseated and give the next person a chance. I think if they knew up front that all of their spending and gifts and contributions received would be made public every time they would be much more concerned about their activities. People need to start running the government instead of the government telling the people what they will be taking next.....only problem is many politicians are elected by the vast numbers of poor who pay little or no taxes, their votes are purchased with empty promises of monies that will come from the middle class over taxed if they materialize at all, the government won't increase taxes on the rich even if their campaign promises are that they will, the wealthy will just take their businesses to other countries and that hurts the national gross domestic product which devalues the dollar and reduces income from business taxes and so the politicians learn quickly that big business butters the bread of the country on a global scale, so the middle class is left to shoulder the burden once again.

Although I do not advocate the Tea Party Express, one can see how the following can happen!

I truly do not know what the answer is-I think that the gov, & office holders need heed what they preach-perhaps the start of the unraveling could happen!

Probably not in my life-time!

Mary Caliendo

We see the "tea party" rambling along-
Even boasting high-paid keynote speaker Palin
(reading from penned-notes on her palm- no less)!


Mary Caliendo

The Chicago Tribune just did a full page story on the tea party express. The writer did not do this to have you join in on the tea party express, or involve himself. He felt that these tea parties have changed the climate of the tea party as we did know it!

He is afraid poor little girls or womans's clubs will now have to call their tea by another name fearing that raging tax haters and riotous nut cases will picket the crumpets thinking that this was yet another stop on the express curcuit!

Too bad that these sometime extremists are being confused with the innocent tea, but I say we hold out a tea is a tea and anything else by that name is just a fad! (I hope!)
Mary Caliendo
Tea

What are your thoughts to the previous post do you think the tax/health care protesters will change the way we think about tea?


Mary Caliendo
Tea Express

Did anyone catch the aarticle on how the tea party express is changing what the definition of tea party means?
Mary Caliendo

has anyone attended a tea party and I mean the ones previously mentioned that do not serve crumpets!

Do you feel that it won't help your cause, and you should just come home and make tea for real?

Thoughts?
Mary Caliendo
Tea Editor

Do you think Palin drinks tea w/her tea party people??

Is it good she has come to the defense of the IL HS girls basketball team that has banned it's team to attend the Arizona event?

Maybe all the tea partiers could find a solid ground in which to stand and really have a cup of tension tamer from celestial seasonings!!

Smile

Tea partiers do yo feel that you have gained anything other than the freedom of speech? Do you think you'd rather attend a tea party that has freshly brewed tea and crumpets and scones??


Mary Caliendo