Like Seattle, its neighbor to the north, the city of Tacoma’s city council has enacted new taxes on guns an ammunition sold there. In an 8-0 vote, the council voted to run gun retailers out of town.
Wait. Our mistake.
They approved levying new taxes on firearms and ammunition, ostensibly to fight “gun violence.” In practice, just as in Seattle, they won’t bring in nearly as much revenue as predicted and local gun stores will be forced to shutter or move.
As thenewstribune.com reports,
Council member Catherine Ushka said passing the tax is playing “the long game” in addressing gun violence reduction.
Translation: they intend to make operating a retail gun store in Tacoma financially impossible when residents will be able to drive just outside city limits to avoid the new taxes.
The tax is $25 per firearm sold at retail, $.02 per round of ammunition that contains a single projectile that measures .22 caliber or less sold at retail, and $.05 per round of ammunition for all other ammunition sold at retail.
The tax goes into effect on July 1, 2020 and is expected to raise $30,000 annually to fund violence prevention programs.
Watch the video above. Bruce Smith of Surplus Ammo & Arms sees the picture very clearly.
Seattle had their own pie-in-the-sky predictions of the loads of cash its similar taxes would bring in to fight “gun violence.” Of course, those were just lies told to sell the plan. Anyone with a basic understanding of economics knew that.
Only a fraction of the predicted amounts have been collected because Seattle’s consumers aren’t stupid. They’ve chosen to buy their guns and ammunition elsewhere.
The same thing will happen in Tacoma. And just as in Seattle, council members will obfuscate and express shock that there’s less money available for their pet projects.
Same as it ever was.