Letters to the Editor: Dec. 15, 2010

Neitherparty wants to cut to ‘sin taxes’ Re: “House Dems declare war on Obama on tax proposal,” Dec. 9 This article has a noteworthy omission: all the “sin” taxes on alcohol, tobacco, firearms, cosmetics, gasoline, and many services and luxuries. While both parties lock horns on who should take credit for tax cuts, the aforementioned “sin” taxes go unscathed and are actually encouraged because they help to stimulate the economy.

For example, U.S. companies profit as the major exporter of tobacco products. And in a world where there are more than 1 billion private autos, most made by the United States and Japan, the tax on gasoline is needed to pay for the huge social impact of the private automobile.