Washington state Governor proposes 1 cent per OUNCE tax on BOTTLED WATER

I really can't believe this. Drinking non-chlorinated, possibly non-fluoridated water is now considered a luxury for the rich by Washington State governor. I was watching local news today while waiting for the Olympics coverage and saw she is publicly calling for a one cent per OUNCE tax on bottled water!!

blogs.evergreen.edu...

I can guarantee this blog is telling the truth; the governer actually called for this on local news stations. I watched it with my own eyes.

If passed, this will raise bottled water to be much more expensive than pop, even. I really can't believe this. It's insane. A 20 oz bottle of water will literally cost almost $2.

Screw the TEA party, I'm founding the WATER PARTY MOVEMENT.

Insanity.

Pretty soon, in WA state, we can have 4 options when we're walking around town, and get thirsty:


1. Risk getting facial herpes because the water pressure in the drinking fountain is too low.

2. Buy a bottle of carbonated, hydrogenated high fructose corn syrup with some riboflavin for extra value.

3. Pay even MORE in taxes than the pop for for a bottle of WATER to drink.

4. Walk around all day with a water bottle like it's a colostomy bag.
Things like this will break the straw on the camels back. Even the loyal "trusters" of the government will start to have had enough.

People really want this?

First they came for your cigarettes, and because you don't smoke, you didn't care.

Then they came for your liquor, but because you don't drink, you didn't care.

NOW THEY'RE COMING FOR YOUR BOTTLED WATER.

Oh wait, you don't drink bottled water. So you STILL don't care. This is about PRINCIPLES, even if you don't drink bottled water.

Let's think of some other GREAT ways to raise revenue, shall we?

Next they will say disposable diapers are a luxury, just use a cloth. It's more environmentally safe. 20 cent per diaper tax. Great idea!

Next they will say tampons are a luxury. Use a rag. It's more environmentally friendly. 20 cent per tampon tax. HOORAY.

Next they will say condoms are filling up our landfills. Just pull out. 20 cent per condom tax. NOW we can hire more governmental employees YIPPEE!

It's time to draw the line in the sand. Wake up Washington state!


[edit on 17-2-2010 by seattletruth]

[edit on 17-2-2010 by seattletruth]

WOW! Why not just legalize marijuana and tax it? Seems anyone that wants it can get it anyway...might as well put the drug dealers out of business and solve the economy in 1 step.

What's insane is that people pay for bottled water anyways.

Each time I buy one a little piece of my soul dies. I try to gain it back by reusing with tap though. I just plain don't buy, and can't afford to believe that my tap water is THAT messed with.

People say it tastes different, I've put several of my friends who say this to the "Pepsi challenge" and no one can tell the difference.

Originally posted by seattletruth
This will raise bottled water to be much more expensive than pop, even. I really can't believe this. It's insane. A 20 oz bottle of water will literally cost almost $2.

Well, if people are stupid enough to pay for bottled water.

Watch Penn&Tellers Bull$hit Episode 1, No. 7

come on, now....
that's only 20 cents on a bottle.... what's with your math dude!

reply to post by dereks


What are you doing here? This isn't the 9/11 board!

Typical that you would support the government at every opportunity, though, without questioning.

Do you realize that not everybody has option of good tap water? Many businesses buy huge things of bottled water for their employees break rooms. The have water coolers at work.

YES. Those are all "bottled water". Do you think its a good idea to make water coolers unaffordable to the unemployed? What about people without easy access to tap? What about people with nasty tap water (there are many). Many people buy water coolers for home. Not all rooms that have water coolers have plumbing to hook up a 'filter'.

Do you really think that water should be a luxury??

GO BIG GOVERNMENT GOOOOO.. TAX US SOME MORE AND WASTE THE MONEY!!! YAYYY

You people who support this are the reason why our country is dying.

[edit on 17-2-2010 by seattletruth]

I agree with that, if they want to pay over and over for bottled tapwater, adding to more plastic in the environment and propping up the oil industry a little bit more.

should be 5 cent a bottle.

REUSE THE BLOODY BOTTLES...goto your local faucet and fill the damned thing up..dont like the additives? get a filter

Originally posted by GBP/JPY
come on, now....
that's only 20 cents on a bottle.... what's with your math dude!

$1.49 + .20 = $1.69 17/20th of $2 = almost $2 for a measly bottle of water.

What's with your math, dude?



[edit on 17-2-2010 by seattletruth]

dudlious....25 cents plus 20 cents my man

Originally posted by seattletruth
Do you really think that water should be a luxury??

Water isnt a luxury...but plastic bottles are

no access to tapwater or a faucet...really? lol.

cant afford to buy a cooler, then heres a idea, stop buying bottled water for a few days and voila, you will have enough money for a cooler...

Originally posted by iamsupermanv2

People say it tastes different, I've put several of my friends who say this to the "Pepsi challenge" and no one can tell the difference.

My friend was making fun of me for drinking Dasani, then I told him I could tell a big difference.

He bet me 10 bucks I couldn't tell the difference so he poured Dasani in 3 cups and tap in 3 cups (using dixie cups, he marked the bottom so only he could tell). I told him I could tell the difference just by smelling and not tasting if he would double the bet.

I won.


Tap water is poison.

reply to post by xstealth


Dasani is filtered tap.

All bottled water is.

I'm sorry, but paying for it is kind of retarded. I only buy it for the convenience.

They should tax the hell out of the thing. All that plastic does just as much damage to the earth as anything else.

If it's poison we'd all be dead.



[edit on 2/17/2010 by iamsupermanv2]

Originally posted by SaturnFX

Originally posted by seattletruth
Do you really think that water should be a luxury??

Water isnt a luxury...but plastic bottles are

no access to tapwater or a faucet...really? lol.

cant afford to buy a cooler, then heres a idea, stop buying bottled water for a few days and voila, you will have enough money for a cooler...

Are you too innate to realize that a water cooler is technically BOTTLED WATER???

Magic 8-ball says "YES".

reply to post by seattletruth


You are spot on, my friend. In many parts of this state the tap water is not healthy. Kitsap, parts of Pierce and Mason counties for sure have a big problem with arsenic in the water supply. Bottled water is a solution,as are things like the Brita and Zero water systems.

Your best bet is to invest in one of those 5gl bottle systems and fill up water bottles.

Originally posted by iamsupermanv2
reply to post by xstealth

 

Dasani is filtered tap.

All bottled water is.


[edit on 2/17/2010 by iamsupermanv2]

True, but tap water isn't treated with reverse osmosis.

Just because it doesn't kill you overnight doesn't mean it isn't poison.

Originally posted by seattletruth

Originally posted by SaturnFX

Originally posted by seattletruth
Do you really think that water should be a luxury??

Water isnt a luxury...but plastic bottles are

no access to tapwater or a faucet...really? lol.

cant afford to buy a cooler, then heres a idea, stop buying bottled water for a few days and voila, you will have enough money for a cooler...

Are you too innate to realize that a water cooler is technically BOTTLED WATER???

Magic 8-ball says "YES".

Ahh, skimmed over the water part of water coolers...was wondering why you were complaining about not being able to afford a cooler (those things that you use to keep drinks cool at while on picnics).

now, as you seen, I didnt say water cooler, I simply say cooler...I am guilty of skimming, you are guilty of the same I reckon since you added in a word I didnt use.

reply to post by xstealth


If you haven't noticed, bottled water is a new thing.

Our ancestors drank well water straight from the well.

Pond scum water.

Muddy water.

Water with all sorts of things in it.

Yet, humanity survived.

reply to post by iamsupermanv2


Yes, they survived, but the average longevity was much lower.

Yes, if you want clean, pure, water, this is a LUXURY FOR THE RICH.


Not for you!!


TAX TAX TAX TAX. People also didn't have sox in the past. Or underwear. Or shoes. We need a 400% tax on these things, cause people lived without them.

reply to post by seattletruth


Benefits of Bottled Water Taxation Which May Reduce Consumption of Bottled Water

Financial Benefits
• Creates revenue. In Chicago where there is a 5 cent tax on bottled water, the sale of bottle water brought in $10.5 million to the city in 2007.
• Saves taxpayer dollars by supporting tap water. We pay for the infrastructure that makes tap water safe to drink and accessible in our homes and businesses.
• Saves consumer dollars. Tap water costs about $0.002 per gallon compared to the $0.89 to $8.26 per gallon charge for bottled water. If the water we use at home cost what even the cheapest bottled water costs, our average monthly family water bills would run $9000.
Protects the Environment
• Reduces plastic in our landfills. Eight of every ten water bottles are not recycled and end up in landfills. The Container Recycling Institute says that plastic water bottles are disposed of (not recycled) at the rate of 30 million a day.
• Fossil fuels used to create plastic contribute to global warming and pollution.
• Around the world, bottling water uses about 2.7 million tons of plastic….each year.
Less energy consumption
• Production of plastic (PET or polyethylene) bottles to meet our demand for bottled water takes the equivalent of about 17.6 million barrels of oil a year (not including transportation costs). That equals the amount of oil required to fuel more than one million vehicles in the U.S. each year.
Reduces Consumer Exposure to Possible Health/Safety Hazards
• Tap water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Bottled water is checked by the Federal Food and Drug Agency which has limited resources and requires that companies self-enforce the rules.
• Municipal water is not permitted to contain fecal coliform bacteria. FDA rules for bottled water include no such prohibitions.
• Municipal water from surface sources must be filtered and disinfected, or it must have strict pollution controls. There are no filtration or disinfection requirements for bottled water at the federal level. The only source-water protection, filtration, or disinfection provisions for bottled water are delegated to the states, and many states have adopted no meaningful programs.
• Cities must have their water tested by government-certified labs. No certification requirement exists for bottlers.
• Water bottles, though cleaned are not sterilized.
• Plastic bottles contain phthalate, a chemical which, when heated even by the sun, begin to leach into the contents of the bottle.
• Phthalates may cause reproductive difficulties, liver problems, and increased risk of cancer.
• While phthalates are regulated in tap water, the FDA maintains an exemption for bottled water.
• Municipal water has an advantage in that it is constantly moving, keeping it fresh and avoiding stagnancy.

Nearly 40 percent of bottled water is tap water with added minerals or filtration and there’s no guaranteed safety just because it’s wrapped in plastic. It is the responsibility of our civic leaders to strengthen support for public water systems. Bottled water undermines support for public water systems. There is a 22 billion dollar gap between what U.S. cities need to spend on water infrastructure and available money which provides future water reliability.

When cities and states use taxpayer dollars to buy bottled water for offices, meetings, and events at hundreds to thousands of times the cost of tap water it signals to the public that something must be wrong with the quality of tap water. This erodes support for adequately funding public water systems. Governors and mayors should champion their public water systems and send a strong message about the high quality of the tap water that they deliver.

reply to post by seattletruth


It seems to me that you are complaining about a tax that will effect your daily life.

That's all and good, but come on....

This is not saying WATER is a luxury. It is saying BOTTLED water is a luxury.

You can boil tap water, filter it through a brita, just to suggestions.

It'd be much better to focus energy on another, more meaningful cause.

Yes, we should always be on watch for pointless taxing...but this is not one of them. Many states need to pull money from different parts of the economy to keep themselves afloat. That's why we have sin tax...people will buy them regardless.

People will buy bottled water regardless. I know when I am at the gas station on a road trip and need something to quench my pallet, I will go with a nice cold bottle of Ozarka. I'm sure you would too.

My suggestion...if this is really that big of a deal to you, write your congressman. Write your favorite bottled water dispenser.

Or boycott bottled water.

And the attempt to use soCKS is poor. I also see socks as a luxury quite honestly.

Look, you aren't complaining that poor people in poor countries don't get clean water...maybe that should be your cause. This is petty. Very petty.