Obama Couldn't Wait: His New Christmas Tree Tax
In the Federal Register of November 8, 2011, Acting Administrator of Agricultural Marketing David R. Shipman announced that the Secretary of Agriculture will appoint a Christmas Tree Promotion Board. The purpose of the Board is to run a "program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information designed to strengthen the Christmas tree industry's position in the marketplace; maintain and expend existing markets for Christmas trees; and to carry out programs, plans, and projects designed to provide maximum benefits to the Christmas tree industry" (7 CFR 1214.46(n)). And the program of "information" is to include efforts to "enhance the image of Christmas trees and the Christmas tree industry in the United States" (7 CFR 1214.10).What? The government is now promoting Christmas trees and trying to strengthen the Christmas tree industry's position in the marketplace through a new tax on Christmas trees? Why? Shouldn't the Christmas tree industry do that for themselves? And so what if no one buys Christmas trees anymore? Why is the government concerned with that? Did they find out that Christmas trees are of pagan origin and they want their tree back? Perhaps they are doing it just because they can. Anything to grow government.
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