If the price of liquor at state run liquor stores includes a "fee" does that mean in order for the state to increase the sale price of a bottle of rum it would have to put it to a state vote?

-- Robert Farmer (beaker97@msgto.com), November 02, 1999

Answers

The answer of course,is to privatize the state run liquor stores.

The state has no business running ANY business that CAN BE RUN BY PRIVATE CITIZENS.

"The government that can do everything FOR you is the government that can do anything TO you."

Ricardo

-- Ricardo (ricardoxxx@home.com), November 02, 1999.

cool thought - just choke up the system

-- bob (bob_esb@hotmail.com), November 02, 1999.

Here's what I believe will be the legal interpretation on "taxes and fees". The state will have to acquire voter approval on taxes and fees which will affect the electorate as a whole. The state will not have to put forth general elections for a "user fee", which does NOT affect the electorate at large. A bottle of rum is in essence, a user fee, or the direct price of a product which the state sells, which you can either buy, or not buy. The purchase of your vehicle is a third party transaction to the state (not a transaction dircectly between you and the state), and therefore they can't tack any new fees or taxes, beyond the already existing taxes and fees to the purchase or continued ownership of said vehicle.

-- Paul Oss (jnaut@earthlink.net), November 03, 1999.

Ricardo,

Next time you answer a question, please answer the question that is asked, not one you make up yourself. Under the current system the liquor stores are not privatized and considering the level of regulation I doubt they will be privatized anytime in the near future.

That being the case, are we going to have to vote ti increase the price of a bottle of booze?

Bob,

I don't know if it will choke up the system or not. But did Tim consider all the implications of the law before he pulled it out of his back side?

Paul,

When I read the text of the initative, there was nothing in it about "affect the electorate at large" or "user fee". It said tax or fee. It might of helped ole Tim out if he had something other then a crayon helping him write this thing.

-- Robert Farmer (beaker97@msgto.com), November 03, 1999.

"It might of helped ole Tim out if he had something other then a crayon helping him write this thing." Very witty! Now if only you'd had the votes instead of the wit, wouldn't you have been a lot happier

-- zowie (zowie@hotmail.net), November 03, 1999.

Actually, now that I think about it, the price of a bottle of rum is not a fee, it's a retail price.

-- Paul Oss (jnaut@earthlink.net), November 04, 1999.

Robert, you ask:"If the price of liquor at state run liquor stores includes a "fee" does that mean in order for the state to increase the sale price of a bottle of rum it would have to put it to a state vote?"

You answered your own question. A 'price' is a 'price'. That is the 'cost' of something and there will be no vote required to charge the 'price' of an item or to increase the 'price' of an item.

But if they want to raise the TAX on that item they have to ask 'PRETTY PLEASE OH MASTERS CAN WE RAISE THE TAX?'

-- maddjak (maddjak@hotmail.com), November 04, 1999.