Grover’s right: Bed-tax bill is all about passing the buck
Say what you will about Grover Norquist — and I know many of you have had plenty to say about him in the past, none of it good. But I don’t think there’s any question his organization, Americans for Tax Reform, is right about one particular element of its statement regarding Gov. Nathan Deal’s plan to have the Department of Community Health, rather than the Legislature, decide whether to continue imposing the hospital bed tax (or “hospital provider fee,” in the current Georgia political vernacular).
Here’s the statement, obtained by my AJC news-side colleagues. I’ve put the seemingly unobjectionable part in bold-face:
Gov. Deal’s decision to shift taxing authority from the legislature to the Department of Community Health does nothing to improve the hospital bed tax. Instead, it is a step in the wrong direction, attempting to absolve the governor and legislature of any potential blame for the looming tax increase.
The hospital bed tax remains a job-killing tax hike that will increase the cost of health care for Georgians and drive up the national debt. Thankfully, many Georgia legislators have taken a stand against the bed tax; Americans for Tax Reform applauds their resolve in the face of silly gimmicks on behalf of tax-and-spend special interests.
Now, you can believe the bed tax is needed, or you can believe it isn’t. You can applaud Norquist’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge or consider it the root of all evil in American politics. But I don’t know how you can disagree with Norquist that Georgia’s Republican lawmakers are trying to pass the buck by giving authority to levy the tax/fee to the DCH board.
If our legislators believe they have no option to balance the budget other than levying the bed tax, that the budget can no longer be cut and tax increases are necessary, then let them come out and say that and defend it — and stop talking about “cutting government” in all their election campaigns.
If they think it is right to make this tax, pitched three years ago as a temporary solution during an abnormally sharp recession and budget crunch, into a permanent tax — which is exactly what it would become once the Legislature no longer had to vote on it periodically — let them make that argument.
Otherwise, I think it would be appropriate for Norquist’s group to rate a vote or gubernatorial signature for the pass-the-buck bill as a vote or signature for a tax hike. And then Georgia’s voters can use that information to decide if their lawmakers did the right thing, which is all the ATR pledge is supposed to do anyway.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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125 comments Add your comment
Politico
January 15th, 2013
2:30 pm
“No more “preachin” from me. A’bientot.. ..”
Not intended to be a factual statement, but do have a great afternoon
MarkV
January 15th, 2013
2:32 pm
I have found an excellent reason why NOT to lower the national debt: It would deprive Dusty of her favorite complaint.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 15th, 2013
2:53 pm
One can find no more conclusive evidence of a liberal’s disdain for knowledge then looking at their phony and mindless crusade against Big Oil. And knowing that the government plays on the conceived ignorance to it’s own benefit. Who could possibly be against the internal combustion engine? That’s like saying you don’t need teeth, which, of course, many liberals do. But anyway, the politicians seized upon the liberals apparent fright of these noisy and smoky machines that also dumbfounded them, much like the solar eclipses caused indigent tribesman to run shrieking into the jungles, by heaping much regulation upon the fuel that they ran on, increasing it’s cost and thereby enlarging it’s tax base. And then the senseless liberals became enraged at Big Oil for raising the price of their products!!!! And they formed a mob, which increased their anger and lowered their IQ, and went to babbling about “obscene profits.” The dummycrat politicians, always eager to play upon their voting base’s stupidity, criss crossed the country whining and moaning about “windfall tax breaks.” This caused our mob to become Very Angry and they slung arrows at their smiling politicians to Take Away Those Tax Breaks. And the smiling politician did Take Away Those Tax Breaks.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, the accountant for the Big Oil Company, upon learning that there were no more tax breaks to be had, called corporate headquarters and told them to raise the price of their products to recover this lost revenue. And up went the cost of a gallon of gasoline.
And the liberal mob became Smug and Contented and lived happily ever after, paying about $1.50 a gallon than they should be.
Can I get a duh?
JamVet
January 15th, 2013
2:55 pm
Asop, I am shocked.
It took you 26 minutes to come to Ky’e’s defense!
Unacceptable!
You’re slippin’, troll…
BW
January 15th, 2013
3:11 pm
Kyle
What is the funding shortfall if the tax is not renewed?
@@
January 15th, 2013
3:33 pm
Everyone has their own “special” way of paying it forward. It’s all about the blame game. When the cost goes up they can blame the hospitals.
So let’s see…
Grady Memorial Hospital, a safety net hospital in downtown Atlanta, received nearly $10 million as a result of the provider fee in fiscal 2011.
Hospitals with relatively small numbers of low-income patients, however, lose money. Piedmont Hospital in Buckhead, where less than 3 percent of its patients are on Medicaid, took the biggest hit in 2011, losing $6.4 million.
Location, location, location. That’s some ’spensive real estate on Jesse Hill Jr. Drive.
Does our government ever think about paying it down–the debt?
JamVet
January 15th, 2013
3:39 pm
The point is that all taxes wind up being on individuals.
Whoa there, cowboy!
Aren’t corporations people too, my friend?
The ones levied directly on individuals are at least transparent about it.
Please tell me you have something more than that to support your argument that corporations should pay no taxes.
It seems to me that it is entirely reasonable that we make companies that report massive, billion dollar annual profits, but don’t contribute a dime of federal income tax to the country that provides them with resources, public services and infrastructure to conduct business, put some skin into the game. But hey, maybe I’m just an adherent of actual capitalism…
SB Atl
January 15th, 2013
4:09 pm
Grover should know. He’s really good at passing the buck when it suits him.
Lil' Barry Bailout - OBAMAPHONE!!!
January 15th, 2013
4:22 pm
If you don’t like Grover, don’t vote for him.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 15th, 2013
5:19 pm
A quarter of a million people in thirty days have signed up for new NRA memberships ahead of the White House Task Force’s findings
Any questions?
JamVet
January 15th, 2013
5:25 pm
A quarter of a million people in thirty days have signed up for new NRA memberships ahead of the White House Task Force’s findings
No questions but it sure reminds me a whole lot of:
KKK Membership Up Since Obama Election
Not unexpectedly, KKK membership is up since Barack Obama’s win. Former Imperial Wizard Johnny Lee Clary, now an outspoken critic of the Klan, said the difficult economic times and Obama’s win both contribute to a rise in Klan membership.
At a recent rally in Alabama, 300 people signed up. Clary called that “unprecedented.”
“They (KKK) actually sent me an email just the other day and were telling me that Barack Obama was the best thing that ever happened to them and they’re excited and happy because their membership is growing larger than it ever has,” Clary said.
Clary said that in these economic times the Klan finds “the poor, the miserable, the down and out” as easy targets for recruitment.
Birds of an ODS feather…
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 15th, 2013
5:31 pm
300 versus a quarter of a million, I rest my case.
Rafe Hollister preparing for an Obamanist America
January 15th, 2013
5:44 pm
Obama, the man is just a stimulater !!!
Rafe Hollister preparing for an Obamanist America
January 15th, 2013
5:47 pm
It would be easier to teach a mule to water ski, than to teach Jamvet about democracy and the unintended consequences of raising corporate taxes.
md
January 15th, 2013
6:05 pm
“It seems to me that it is entirely reasonable that we make companies that report massive, billion dollar annual profits, but don’t contribute a dime of federal income tax to the country that provides them with resources, public services and infrastructure to conduct business, put some skin into the game.”
Hmmm…..and the country that provided those resources got the money from where?
Horse then cart, not the other way around.
md
January 15th, 2013
6:08 pm
Am, you need to remember that those corps produce ALL the capital to run the system. Our benevolent gov’t can’t do a dang thing until those evil corps first generate the capital and then distribute it to the masses in the form of paychecks. Then our almighty gov’t does what it does best….spend it.
JamVet
January 15th, 2013
6:26 pm
md, why do you plead on behalf of the monied moocher class?
Kyle Wingfield
January 15th, 2013
6:27 pm
That’s all for tonight. Immediate commenting will be back on tomorrow morning.
Shine
January 15th, 2013
6:28 pm
Grover who? Does that psycho even live in Ga?
md
January 15th, 2013
6:31 pm
Plead? Merely laying out the facts of how our system works………
If one is calling for a tax hike in corp taxes, one is basically calling for an increase in the price of goods/services, a reduction in shareholder (401k) value, or a decrease/non-increase in employee wages as those are the effects of a higher corp tax.
Want higher wages, stronger 401k’s, or cheaper goods? Then a call for a corp tax reduction…….
Lil' Barry Bailout - OBAMAPHONE!!!
January 15th, 2013
9:58 pm
JamVet: the monied moocher class
——————-
Don’t hate people who are better than you and who are paying their share, and most of yours, of the country’s bills.
saywhat?
January 16th, 2013
8:40 am
Kyle Wingfield
January 15th, 2013
12:38 pm
Dusty @ 10:41: It is a tax on hospitals. You do not need to worry about how many beds you have at your house.
——————————————————-
ROFLMAO. To paraphrase Barney Frank, trying to have a conversation with some people on this blog would be like arguing with a dining room table.
BW
January 16th, 2013
11:12 am
Kyle
Up to a $500 million hole that forces up to 15 hospitals to close….I’m not sure if you support the funding or not but I can’t see how it’s a good thing to allow this to happen
Kyle Wingfield
January 16th, 2013
12:05 pm
Immediate commenting is back on and there’s a new post upstairs.
independent thinker
January 16th, 2013
9:07 pm
THis is hysterical! The patron saint of conservative republicans Reagan passes a federal law in 1986 that is pure socialism which requires all hospitals to provide free health care in emergency rooms to any soul who makes into an emergency room until medically stabilized regardless of insurance, citizenship, etc.NO FUNDING SOURCE for this socialistic take from the insured and rich program called EMTALA designed by Reagan. Results- a huge deficit for many hospitals.
Then along comes a moderate Republican in 2006 passes universal health care with massively increased federal Medicaid dollars and individual responsibility/mandates for insurance to cover Massachusett’s EMTALA created deficit for hospital care. However this moderate Republican becomes like the patron saint, “severely conservative” after getting nominated for the presidency and disowns and disavows his own solution to hospital deficits.
Now a severely conservative Governor in Georgia proposes a tax on income producing beds in hospitals to somehow gin up more federal dollars and again tax those with insurance and those who can afford to pay. Again this is more socialism and taxation of innocent patients and their insurers.
Same governor turns down excess Medicaid like Romney did in Massachusetts but wants to use this highly controversial tax to trick the feds into paying more along with insurers to cover the Reagan created unfunded mandate.
So now who comes along screaming violation of conservative Republican principles??????????-good ole Grover Norquist -savior of the party!.
Hey Grover -cut EMTALA and throw the bums out on the street-end Republican socialism now! Expose Nathan Deal as a closet socialist!
What a bunch of hypocrites!