Fees and Taxes, Oh My!

After reading the screed of the Truckee lefty non-profit enabler, I decided to take a look at a couple of my bills I pay every month for the taxes and fees I am charged.  Many government programs are funded by these almost hidden taxes and fees added under duress by the government on many of the services and necessities we all use.  These fees are added all the time and of course the government leaves it open ended and unlimited since the law always says "the fee charged will be the latest fee" which is always increasing.  I saw the county do this with the fees charged in the Building and Planning departments.  Also, the fees we pay on some of the services like solid waste and roads and parks.

So I reviewed my Pacific Gas and Electric and ATT Cellular bills. 

PG and E places these little itty bitty fees and taxes on all our bills.  Kind of reminds me of the Superman 3 movie with Richard Pryor.  He was working for a company and wondered where that 1/2 cent went when a odd number was computed on payroll.  He figured out a way to divert the 1/2 cent's to him and soon he had a few million bucks.

PG and E adds a Energy Commission Tax of 16 cents and a gas PPP surcharge of $2.26 to my $82.92 bill. The gas surcharge is $0.05959 per therm.  Then we have a breakout on the electric side of the bill which includes a set of components.  Among them is a "Public Purpose Programs of $2.96.  There is also a "Ongoing CTC" charge of $3.85 and a few more.

The ATT cell bill of $48.05 has some fees and taxes too.  There is a "Regulatory Cost Recovery Program" a "Federal Universal Service Charge" and a "State Universal Service Charge".  They total $2.40.  Under another column called Government Fees and Taxes I have "State 911 tax" and something called a "Teleconnect Fund" and then "Universal Lifeline".  These total $0.66 cents on my bill.

Multiply these fees across the users of America and I am sure there are billions collected from us.  Of course the politicians passed these itsy bitsy taxes, fees and exaction's in some omnibus bill or our PUC said OK to PG and E and too the legislature in California.  People always say OK.  Then we get to see the government collect these monies and send them back (sometimes) to us via our local and state governments.  The departments we have here in Nevada County then take a piece of the action and if the lowly constituents compete and qualify, the money gets used to subsidize them.  What a scam eh.

These are just two bills.  We all pay uninsured motorists insurance even though every driver in California is required to carry insurance.  We have fees and taxes on our water bills and  taxes on our other necessities.  There is a theft from our pockets but most don't even feel it because the government ropa-dopes us all with talk of debt ceilings and foreclosures.  And to think the Boston Tea Party was over a couple of cents!

This is what we have come too here in our country.  We have the have nots and knotheads.  They take our money, under threat of arrest, and then graciously divie it up to there supporters.  Just like Obama did for the unions with his "Stimuli" of a trillion bucks.  I think it is time to re-evaluate our burdens, all of them.  The federal income tax is one part of the pie and that too needs to become fair.  The fifty percent whole don't pay need to step up to the plate and help out.  With all Americans paying their "fair share", we can become solvent, well, maybe.