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Authored by: cjk fossman on Tuesday, July 03 2012 @ 03:42 PM EDT |
This is not about some ambiguous thing called 'the
government.' It is about the actions of congress.
Congress has always had the power to tax. It's in the US
Constitution.
It has long been recognized that taxation influences
behavior. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton
advocated high tariffs to promote industrialization in the
US. High tariffs raise the cost of foreign goods,
influencing people to buy the domestic version.
Offering tax incentives is a more palatable way to influence
behavior, but the incentive just shifts the tax burden to
those who don't qualify.[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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Authored by: jjs on Wednesday, July 04 2012 @ 10:27 AM EDT |
Yes, Congress could mandate a tax on inefficient cars - in
fact such taxes have been proposed, and based on this ruling
would be constitutional. Right now there is sort of such tax
on houses - install energy efficency gains and get a tax
break.
As Chief Justice Roberts indicated, this ruling took no stand
on whether the law was good or not, only was it legal.
Sometimes legal isn't right. sometimes right isn't legal.
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(Note IANAL, I don't play one on TV, etc, consult a practicing attorney, etc,
etc)
[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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