Gas Taxes

The March 24 Times relates how our politicians are bickering about reducing taxes to alleviate the zooming price of gasoline. This triggered the memory of a conversation I had with my father some years ago. It was in the early 1930s that California passed the sales tax. It was 2% and supposed to be an emergency tax for six months. My father assured me that once a tax was on the books it would be there forever. How true his prediction. The tax is now over 8% and the politicians are very reluctant to cut even a portion of it despite the tremendous surplus it generates each year.

NATE RUBIN

Los Angeles

*

As a traveling salesman, I’m hard hit with federal and state taxes on gas. As a drinker I’m getting hit with the alcohol “sin tax.” As a heavy smoker I’ve become a persona non grata in public places, while the Puritans in this state did a mob-lynching on me by voting for a very punishing cigarette tax increase. My rage goes unnoticed.

Seems like Bill Clinton’s giveaway of millions of dollars to India and Pakistan and Hillary’s travels on taxpayer money to New York also will never make the headlines. Who is to account for taxation on my hard-earned income?

MICHAEL MARKARIAN

Los Angeles