• 658 days Will The ECB Continue To Hike Rates?
  • 659 days Forbes: Aramco Remains Largest Company In The Middle East
  • 660 days Caltech Scientists Succesfully Beam Back Solar Power From Space
  • 1,060 days Could Crypto Overtake Traditional Investment?
  • 1,065 days Americans Still Quitting Jobs At Record Pace
  • 1,067 days FinTech Startups Tapping VC Money for ‘Immigrant Banking’
  • 1,070 days Is The Dollar Too Strong?
  • 1,070 days Big Tech Disappoints Investors on Earnings Calls
  • 1,071 days Fear And Celebration On Twitter as Musk Takes The Reins
  • 1,073 days China Is Quietly Trying To Distance Itself From Russia
  • 1,073 days Tech and Internet Giants’ Earnings In Focus After Netflix’s Stinker
  • 1,077 days Crypto Investors Won Big In 2021
  • 1,077 days The ‘Metaverse’ Economy Could be Worth $13 Trillion By 2030
  • 1,078 days Food Prices Are Skyrocketing As Putin’s War Persists
  • 1,080 days Pentagon Resignations Illustrate Our ‘Commercial’ Defense Dilemma
  • 1,081 days US Banks Shrug off Nearly $15 Billion In Russian Write-Offs
  • 1,084 days Cannabis Stocks in Holding Pattern Despite Positive Momentum
  • 1,085 days Is Musk A Bastion Of Free Speech Or Will His Absolutist Stance Backfire?
  • 1,085 days Two ETFs That Could Hedge Against Extreme Market Volatility
  • 1,087 days Are NFTs About To Take Over Gaming?
Billionaires Are Pushing Art To New Limits

Billionaires Are Pushing Art To New Limits

Welcome to Art Basel: The…

Zombie Foreclosures On The Rise In The U.S.

Zombie Foreclosures On The Rise In The U.S.

During the quarter there were…

Market Sentiment At Its Lowest In 10 Months

Market Sentiment At Its Lowest In 10 Months

Stocks sold off last week…

  1. Home
  2. Markets
  3. Other

Evolution of Taxes: Italy Taxes 'Shadows', Tax on Breathing Next?

Zero Hedge had an interesting article today called In Italy, They're Now Taxing Shadows.

This is one of those stories where you expect the headline to be a bit of an exaggeration. It wasn't.

As Italian newspaper Leggo reports, store owners in Conegliano are now faced with the unfortunate (albeit comically absurd) proposition of paying taxes on shadows.

The rationale appears to go something like this: an awning casts a shadow on public property and therefore you must pay to use that property.


Tax on Breathing Next?

I pinged that article off Pater Tenebrarum at Acting Man. He lives in Austria. Pater responded ...

They actually got that idea from Austria, where we have the so-called (put down the coffee) "air tax". No, it's not a tax on breathing just yet. But if you have a shop sign that "occupies airspace", you must pay a tax for it!

In Vienna this is garnished additionally with the "subway levy", which has to be paid regardless of whether one uses the subway or not. In fact, I think there is no government on the planet more inventive with regard to taxes, levies and imposts of all sorts.


Illinois Tax Proposals

Earlier today I noted Proposed Illinois Tax Hikes: Financial Transactions, Millionaires, Guns, Sweetened Beverages, Satellite Providers, Fireworks, Progressive Income

Proposed Illinois Taxes

Additional tax-hike proposals are being thrown around without any idea of how much they might raise. State Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, proposed a 3.75% tax on guns and gun parts.

When asked how much revenue it would raise, she said she didn't know but thought if we can get a good million or so, I'll take it.

State Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, recently said that "creative lawmakers can come up with many options for new revenue."


Creative Options

Let's hope Lou Lang does not look at what's happening in Italy or Austria, or proposed tax on shadows or even breathing will soon be on the way.

 

Back to homepage

Leave a comment

Leave a comment