OBAMA'S NEW 'CHRISTMAS TREE TAX'





President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.
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).
To pay for the new Federal Christmas tree image improvement and marketing program, the Department of Agriculture imposed a 15-cent fee on all sales of fresh Christmas trees by sellers of more than 500 trees per year (7 CFR 1214.52).  And, of course, the Christmas tree sellers are free to pass along the 15-cent Federal fee to consumers who buy their Christmas trees.
Acting Administrator Shipman had the temerity to say the 15-cent mandatory Christmas tree fee “is not a tax nor does it yield revenue for the Federal government” (76 CFR 69102).  The Federal government mandates that the Christmas tree sellers pay the 15-cents per tree, whether they want to or not.  The Federal government directs that the revenue generated by the 15-cent fee goes to the Board appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the Christmas tree program established by the Secretary of Agriculture.  Mr. President, that’s a new 15-cent tax to pay for a Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.
Nobody is saying President Obama doesn’t have authority to impose his new Christmas Tree Tax — his Administration cites the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996.  Just because the Obama Administration has the legal power to impose its Christmas Tree Tax doesn’t mean it should do so.
The economy is barely growing and nine percent of the American people have no jobs.  Is a new tax on Christmas trees the best President Obama can do?
And, by the way, the American Christmas tree has a great image that doesn’t need any help from the government.

 

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59 thoughts on “OBAMA'S NEW 'CHRISTMAS TREE TAX'”

  1. Obama, leave Christmas trees alone. I’m doing without a tree this year, have had enough of taxes imposed without my consent. Isn’t this why we dumped British rule, taxes imposed without our consent? What business is it of the Muslim in Chief whether people like Christmas trees? Let the Muslim in Chief impose a tax on goats which Muslims buy to slaughter in their back yards to celebrate their holidays.

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  2. But Obama hates Christmas trees. He ordered them removed for security reasons right across Copenhagen for the failed climate summit. How can anyone go to a European city as a foreigner and decree that no one can have a Christmas tree just because he happens to be in town?

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  3. Actually the / a President does not have the authority as the article states. The power to tax at the Federal level lies solely with the Congress as Article I of the Constitution states, but heck nobody is following except for Ron Paul. It seems now we have a Grinch elected dictator ;^)

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  4. As if the gov’t could “market’ anything, sounds like another gov’t skimming operation folks. Picking on poor Xmas is pathetic, is nothing safe or sacred?

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  5. And why is this not all over the mainstream media? This should be everywhere, just as Fast and Furious should be. I’m tired of the media coddling him and not showing who he really is. The President does not have the authority to impose new taxes. It is “taxing without representation” and people should be outraged.

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  6. Thank you so much Mr. president I was really in need of a good life..uh….laugh. I cant believe that the christmas tree( which you dont observe…) is in need of a ….what. a boost in its feel good rating this is like the campaign to make us feel better about our car….
    I think that you should just get bold and charge a dollar, that is if you can define WHAT A DOLLAR IS
    Idiot

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  7. Well, why not? The American citizen is already so burdened wit debt, both government and private, that a little more is not going to make any difference. We can NEVER pay off what has been racked up in debt. As I see it, .15c per tree will maybe pay the exorbitant salaries of the board to be appointed, if they are careful.
    But this is just one more of the terrible sins being participated in by mankind, and why this nation is falling apart. Read Jer. 10:1-5 in your Bible. Christmas is an abomination to God. It started with Nimrod and Ishtar in Babylon. It was adopted to Christianity but God hates it with a passion. It has nothing to do with the birth of Christ. God’s holy days are to be observed, not those created by man. This nation is going down.

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  8. And which cronies do you think will be on this “Board?” It will be a bunch of hand picked back slappers who will probably make a nice cushy 6 figures for their valuable time.

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  9. We have a President that does not like the thought of Christmas because of what it represents, or at least what it is supposed to represent. He even says that this is not a Christian nation and gives credit when ever possible to Muslims for things that they had no part in. It really is unbelievable that we have a President like this and a foolish main stream media that backs him. I sincerely hope he ends up being a one-term President because he has much more on his agenda to destroy this country.

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  10. Memo.
    To all staff – (that includes you, Smithers)
    All right, I do not want to know who didn’t do it, but when the President sends
    out one of his little jokes, you are supposed to send it to the people he names,
    not pin it up on the wall of the staff canteen to giggle at for seven months and
    eight days.
    Those of you who can read, please read this out, slowly, to Smithers, and all
    the other illiterates wot work here.

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  11. Maybe another viewpoint on this is that Obama is hoping we wont buy christmas trees as part of his Anti-christian movement. Maybe he thinks enough Americans will be mad enough at him that we wont buy the trees and that might be one step at his overall goal of destroying christianity. I realize the christmas tree is not necessarily all that “Christian” anyway. But maybe Obama and his chronies arent smart enough, they are desperate enough to try anything to get their way….
    Another thought is, if its so wrong for God or Christ to be part of this country anymore,(according to some) then why is Obama promoting christmas at all ????? What are they thinking.

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  12. It is one more idiotic idea from this damisistration. I was never sure whether Obama is not very bright or if he was just a Communist. Now I know he is both. If this miserable excuse for an American is re-elected, we are truly done for, if we aren’t done for already. God help America!

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  13. So much for us NOT being a Christian Nation. now our religious beliefs are being assulted under a tax. I wonder why he doesn’t put a tax on berkas to enhance the marketing of muslim clothing.
    Actually is is a well known Islamic practice to tax the paractice of different religious groups in order to suppress that religion. Guess you know now….

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  14. If this is real information, you can bet that there will probably be 30 cents of administration costs for every 15 cents collected of this new tax. I can’t help but wonder what happens to you if you cut a Christmas tree from your own property without paying this new 15 cent tax.

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  15. OH BOY OH BOY……WHY DON’T YOU JUST TAX US 100%
    THE GLOBAL CIVIL WAR TAKES PLACE FROM 2013 TO 2018
    MAYBE WE SHOULD START IT UP NOW…..
    DO NOT BUY A TREE THIS YEAR….KEEP THEM FROM GETTING THE EXTRA MONEY….PULL ALL OF YOUR MONEY OUT OF THE BIGG BANKS AND PUT IT IN A CREDIT UNION…
    WHAT NEXT? SHALL WE BUY RUGS TO PRAY ON TOO?

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  16. …This tax was implemented upon the X-mas tree sellers at the request of the sellers. The industry is failing to the plastic tree market, and the tax only affects the sellers, and MAYBE the buyers if the sellers opt to increase their tree costs.
    You conservative nutjobs need to get your panties out of their bunches. I’d think a bunch of people convinced the man hates America and American traditions would be ecstatic to see him encouraging this long-standing tradition.

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  17. maintain and expand existing markets ? what like Easter ? or how about Hanukkah, no no I’ve got it, Ramadan, you can’t have yourself a proper Ramadan without a Christmas tree, sooner or later my American cousins you really are going to have to wake up.

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  18. Just another example of our new socialist goverment. Christ is the reason for the season. Good thing I own a “fake tree”. I suggest everyone give 15 pennies for their 15 cents and have the christmas tree seller send in his “tax” in pennies. I will pay for the shipping!

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  19. Obama isn.t very smart in this request(he certainly has no authority so it must be a request). Well to avoid any hassel everyone selling Christmas trees can just make up a new name for the company when they have sold 499 Christmas trees. No problem…the company changes after every 499th sale.

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  20. Weird! But don’t you see? He’s really trying to push people to buy the Chinese-made POS trees that cost a fortune now to avoid that 15-cent tax! LOL! That will help increase our debt to China! The guy is just about as anti-American as they come. I’m really surprised people haven’t started demanding his impeachment!

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  21. I think he has too much free time on his hands. Where does he come up with some of his stupid crap !!!
    WE MUST balance the budget, so we create an agency to supervise the “non-tax” on cutting Christmas trees. It should bring in enough
    money to pay the salaries of a few more
    politicians………but, what will they come up
    with as a fund raiser for the next 11 months of each year ?

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  22. This is ingenious, can’t you see this is how he is going to get the money of the rich corporations and the top 1%. I’ll bet this will balance the budget and restore the economic engine in less than a year.
    You know nothing bad can come of TAXING a specific group of peoples’ RELIGIOUS BELIEFS; especially when it’s for something so noble.

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  23. Cuckleburr, You are absolutely correct. Unfortunately, most people will happily create all this materialistic mayhem because they think that they are doing it for Christ sake.

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  24. I love how everyone is blaming this on Obama being Muslim. This has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with being screwed by a corrupt government.
    News flash people: GOD ISN’T REAL. They’re just using religion as a distraction from the real issues. Goddamn, why won’t people wake the hell up.

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  25. He is F_ _ _ _ ing
    IDIOT
    And so is the GOP since it appears they don’t have the quevos to challenge anything he does.
    I think they are just as bad. They’re just a little bent because it’s not them doing the screwing to the American people.

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  26. Nic, aggy, Bob: Why can’t you understand that it’s not the amount of the tax that matters. It’s the principle of taxation only by representation that is being violated. The government has no f*****g business being involved in the marketing of Christmas trees, or anything else for that matter. This is the exclusive province of private citizens and businesses. To say this is not a tax, but a “fee” is just plain stupid and blind. This whole event just proves Obama and his associates have no intention of ever cutting government spending to a level the American taxpayer can afford. They intend to keep on spending more and taxing and borrowing more until we are entirely bankrupt.

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  27. This was probably proposed by some big time tree grower because too many people no longer consider the killing of small evergreens for short term decoration to be environmentally friendly. Typical big business operation, get the government to tax everyone for their exclusive benefit. I definitely disapprove.

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  28. If it hasn’t been noticed by most folks, hussein obama is the worlds’ most powerful islamofascist nut and he is destroying the USA a bit at a time every day he is in office. One more 15 cent tax on top of the trillions of dollars he’s already charging the taxpayers isn’t much to squawk about.

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  29. Let me get this straight, we can’t talk about God in the schools because it’s a supposed violation of church and state yet the government has no qualms about taxing the sale of an item for a religious holiday. Let all the Christmas tree sellers apply for non-profit status and tell Obama to go pound sand.

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  30. Who is the parasite and prostitute for the Christmas Tree Growers Association that thought this up? Please fire that person. I will never buy another “real” Christmas Tree. You growers can have a bon fire.

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  31. This is a takeoff of the 9-9-9 program as proposed by Cain (the Pizza Man). I’m not sure why the government is in the Tree business,But if we ask Rick Perry I’m sure he could think up a reason, or not. It’s the harvester that pays the tax. Oil companies pay the depletion fee the same way.

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  32. According to the Federal Register, this is a PROPOSED rule, and it was proposed by a task force of Christmas tree producers and importers; i.e., members of the Christmas tree industry itself. The proposed rule has now been published for comment, not for implementation.

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  33. This is a No brainer.
    If you have a “Holiday” tree, then you should pay a $15 or 20 dollar tax per tree, because you are obviously aren’t into Christmas and want to use up all of the trees for your Holiday so that I have to pay through the nose for my Traditional Christmas Tree.
    Tax ANY “Christmas” Tree or any Christmas Decoration or ANY Christmas Gift Or Any Christmas Food or anything ELSE that Evolves around Christmas is about as Unconstitutional as it gets!
    Why does this clown claim to be a Constitutional Scholar??
    Adolph Hitler knew more about our Constitution than Barack Obama!

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