tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135788133426971614.post7666932468104594967..comments2024-03-28T01:09:48.303-07:00Comments on 21st Century Taxation: Designing sales tax exemptions - what is necessary?Professor Nellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03288632402197167948noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135788133426971614.post-30430448299284302322015-04-06T14:08:52.119-07:002015-04-06T14:08:52.119-07:00Bob, thanks for the comments. You make some great ...Bob, thanks for the comments. You make some great points. Food is a challenge unless the relief can easily be provided by an existing mechanism such as a refundable income tax credit (but that does not help from week to week) or some type of voucher distributed with same application as for free school lunch or other program. Yet, a lower rate possible with a broader base will also help many people. Professor Nellenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03288632402197167948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2135788133426971614.post-40242827627628962942015-04-06T12:36:46.392-07:002015-04-06T12:36:46.392-07:00This reminds me of the example you have used befor...This reminds me of the example you have used before with respect to the variety of foods available at the grocery store. There is the $4 block of cheddar or the $19 specialty cheese that pairs with a particular wine. One seems to fit the “necessity of life” category while the other clearly does not; yet both are exempt from the sales tax base likely because of the simplicity of applying the exemption to cover all types of cheese.<br /><br />To baseline the “necessity of life” portion of the price of all the items in the grocery store would be a daunting task. For example, is buying organic milk a necessity? And then are the values adjusted for CPI annually?<br /><br />For the Idaho law, I like your idea to segregate the costs between lens and frame because it’s usually already done on the invoice. The only difference is that I think you apply the tax to the entire cost of the frame without regard to what a basic frame should cost because of the simplicity of application.Bobnoreply@blogger.com