Posts Tagged ‘New York’

Guess what? You’re probably committing tax fraud on a regular basis! Yes, you!

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011


(photo credit: swanksalot)

Did you know that New York State requires residents to pay sales tax on items they order from Amazon.com?

Not at the time of purchase, because Amazon doesn’t calculate state taxes. But when you file your state tax return every year, you’re supposed to tell the state exactly how much unpaid sales tax you owe on everything you’ve purchased from out-of-state retailers (i.e., almost everything you buy online). And at the end of the year, you’re supposed to write a check for that amount.

Which, of course, nobody does. So states have been trying to pass laws requiring online retailers like Amazon, FatWallet, and Overstock to collect sales tax at the time of purchase.

Why all the sudden fuss? Well, most states are facing multi-billion-dollar budget deficits these days, and unpaid sales tax on online purchases could add up to more than $10 billion this year. Aside from selling the local park to a private company, taxes and traffic tickets are really the only ways a state can hope to raise the money it needs.

When you’re low on cash, don’t you suddenly start thinking about all the money that’s owed to you?

Click here to learn about hidden taxes, tax evasion in Switzerland, and tax breaks for do-gooders.

No Fracking Way

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

Shooting chemicals into New York State’s groundwater to capture an unsustainable energy source? Not in my backyard.

  • New York State is days away from approving a temporary ban (moratorium) on high-volume hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a. “fracking”).
  • Fracking (outside the parlance of Battlestar Galactica) is a method of drilling for natural gas trapped beneath shale rock. Water, chemicals, and sand are blasted into the rock until it gives, then the gas is collected.
  • Environmental groups, and now New York State legislators, are concerned about shooting harmful chemicals into the state’s water supply. Gas industry people disagree.

Facts & Figures

  • Natural gas trapped under the Marcellus Shale – a rock formation spanning NY, PA, OH, and WV – could meet U.S. gas demand for more than 10 years
  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will release a report about fracking in 2012
  • The moratorium will go into effect when Governor Paterson signs it before the end of this year

Best Quote

“Right now, we think any time-out is a good one. The gas isn’t going anywhere.” – Craig Michaels, Watershed Program Director at

Soda No Longer Covered By Food Stamps

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is sometimes known as Nanny Bloomberg, but that’s not entirely fair…

  • In an effort to fight the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the mayor of New York City and the governor of New York State have teamed up to get sugary drinks out of the hands of low-income residents. Bloomberg has already won smoking bans in restaurants and bars, and junk food bans in public schools.
  • They’ve asked the federal government to ban the sale of soda and other sugary drinks to New York City residents using food stamps. Cigarettes and alcohol are already off-limits to these customers.
  • The ban will serve as a two-year experiment to see whether reducing availability of sugary drinks reduces obesity and diabetes rates, as well as overall sales of sugary drinks. Bloomberg recently tried to add a tax on all sugary drinks, but his proposal was defeated by industry lobbyists.

Facts & Figures

  • 1.7 million city residents currently receive food stamps.
  • An estimated $135 million in federal food aid is used to purchase sugary drinks.
  • Approximately 40% of kids from kindergarten through eighth grade and 60% adults in NYC are overweight or obese.
  • Drinking one sugary drink per day increases a child’s likelihood of being obese by 60%.

Best Quote

“We’re saying you can’t use a government-subsidized health program to do it.” – Jessica Scaperotti, Mayoral Press Aide, insisting the mayor is not trying to prevent poor New Yorkers from purchasing sugary drinks

Cousteau & Co. Dive To Draw Attention To Waterways

Monday, June 14th, 2010
Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the famous Jacques, hopes to improve New York waterways with his nonprofit and a public school partnership.

  • Plant a Fish, Mr. Cousteau’s new nonprofit, focuses on ocean restoration around the world. Its first project:  The Hudson River.
  • Cousteau is working with students from the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, a public city high school in Bushwick, Brooklyn, to plant thousands of oysters near Bay Ridge on Monday, June 14th.
  • The Harbor School offers its students scuba diving lessons and constructs its curriculum around New York’s waterways. The school will relocate to Governors Island this fall.

Facts & Figures

  • On Monday, June 14th, Mr. Cousteau and The Harbor School expect to plant 130,000 oysters.
  • Future Plant a Fish projects include planting one million corals in the Maldives and Florida Keys and one billion sea turtles in the mangroves of El Salvador.
  • The estimated cost per program ranges from $15,000 to $65,000

Best Quote
“We need to see our natural world as a bank account where we have to live on the interest rather than eating away at the capital.  Plant a Fish is one of the ways that we can start restoring that capital.”  – Fabien Cousteau, Founder, Plant A Fish