The New Hampshire Municipal Association proudly touts a new special “equine” tax that will increase jobs and create new state income from the estimated 24,000 equine in New Hampshire. A licensing of each and every equine is proposed to be effective July 1, 2009. This is a tax of $25 per horse (equine) and in cases of refusal to comply, the state adds another $50 to slap the cowboys in line. It isn’t a smoke screen about export, food safety or disease, it is just a new state income.
Beyond the state lines of New Hampshire, the USDA has been at war with livestock owners to coerce enrollment in the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), a multi-billion dollar scheme to computerize, number and create a permanent surveillance system on all US livestock. This plot is the mother of all numbering scenarios. With the commerce of all US livestock, at the end of three years the total computer movements recorded, and paid for by animal owners, would eclipse the number of the earth’s human population.
These draconian sounding tax collection schemes, although totally putrid to animal lovers, are completely sane to bureau-rats who’s salary increases, retirement and weekly sustenance depend on innovative ways to transfer wealth from the regulated to the regulators.
Just down the trail to New York 88 new taxes have been deviously hatched by the lowly staff of Governor David Paterson to help pay for his flawed $15.4 billion budget gap. Hookers who have enjoyed a tax break on work clothes worth less than $110, won’t any more. An 18% increase on sodas is proposed; higher gas tax, increased taxi tax, boats, cars, rental car taxes, cigars, iPods, etc. Plush governmental cubicles high in the New York sky are filled with think-tank devious minds searching the alleys for a new tax source to increase the regulator’s revenue. New York Conservative Party Chairman, Michael Long says, “You’re (Gov. Paterson) sending notice to the people of New York that we really don’t want you here.”
Tribute ideas like the USDA’s NAIS, horse licensing and the New York taxationists search the world over to locate new and innovative collection methods. It is one thing to develop a new tax and another to collect it. That is where enforcements are enacted with fines, late penalties, and refusal-to-comply fees.
In Australia a tax called the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) has been operational for several years. Herds of computer toting Biosecurity Officers now stalk the Outback to locate animal owners out of compliance; conviction is up to a $4000 fine for not registering a livestock premises.
The love of companion animals is multiplying in affection world wide. What a sadistic way to create funding, to assess a new tribute for pets, livestock and beloved family animals. Animal licensing is the contemporary government way to tax not just the animal, but the joy and profit of livestock ownership.
In New Hampshire it starts out,