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To the editor:
I agree with a recent letter writer: Trump is prohibited from taxing exports and is usurping authority ("Pay to Play Presidency,” The Chief, Aug. 22). However ...
A quick Google search reveals legal/ethics watchdogs are divided on whether it does constitute "pay to play." The plan has critics and proponents.
In addition, there is a difference between taxes and "user fees."
This is classic "Trump derangement syndrome." Letter writers provide only that side of the story that supports their opinion and quote me out of context when I provide another angle.
Nor is TDS limited to Trump's detractors. His supporters tied up miles of the Van Wyck Expressway in January 2021, stormed the Capitol and, more locally, stole a Harris sign out of my friend's front yard. A female member of my local political party has no problem with Trump using a derogatory term for female anatomy. Across the street from a Trump rally held in the Bronx about two months before the election, a group of Green Party members was quietly and peacefully protesting, but someone nonetheless encouraged the police to handle them.
Trump’s former personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, essentially ruined his own life to prosecute an unwinnable case. Giuliani's daughter blamed Trump instead of Giuliani, himself a former mayor who emphasized personal responsibility for welfare recipients. That is TDS just as much as what the contributors to this letters section are suffering.
Nat Weiner
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reenjoe
Let me see:
A company applies for a permit or license to conduct business,
The politician empowered to approve the application demands a percentage of future profits in return for approval,
Conclusion: textbook Pay-to-Play.
Any "legal/ethical watchdog" that says otherwise is as dishonest as the politician making the demand.
For the record, user fees are charges imposed by the government for the purpose of recovering the cost of providing a service, directly from the people who benefit from the particular service being provided. User fees are NOT intended to generate revenue but only cover administrative expenditures. Taxes are imposed to raise government revenue.
Did processing the export licenses for Nvidia and AMD to sell H20 chips in China cost the government 15% of the projected revenue???? If yes, it is a user fee, if no it is a tax. You decide which it is.
Wednesday, August 27 Report this
Word Man
Short and sweet, user fees are charges paid to access specific services or facilities, like tolls or park entry fees, where the payment is directly linked to the service received.
In contrast, pay-to-play” typically refers to a system where individuals or businesses must pay to participate in a particular activity or gain access to opportunities, often in a more competitive or exclusive context.
To his credit, Mr. Trump demonstrates exceptional proficiency in employing both techniques to make positive contributions to the nation’s well-being. Hail Trump!
Thursday, August 28 Report this
reenjoe
Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that all of Trump's tariffs are unconstitutional, cited that power (taxation) is solely given to the Legislature.
Trump's imposition of a "profit percentage" in exchange for licensing approvals to sell H20 chips to China would likewise lose a legal challenge on the same grounds.
Saturday, August 30 Report this
Word Man
The US Supreme Court will overrule the US Court of Appeals for acting like an “imperial court.”
By the way, the elf proudly wears a magnificent, brilliantly illuminated, star-studded MAGA cap atop his imposing bulbous head. This captivating accessory draws attention to his awe-inspiring skateboard dexterity beneath the 4th Street arch, leaving all spectators astonished.
Monday, September 1 Report this