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Petition Tag - taxes
1. Stop Requiring Animal Testing 
Animal testing is a cruel and barbaric practice that should be banned. Animals do not want to be tortured, locked up, neglected and abused any more than we do, so why should we do it to them?
Myth 1# "Animal testing is vital to save lives".
Animal testing actually kills more people than it saves because of the fact that animals have different bodies and genetic systems from us. Even animals that are very similar to us in terms of DNA, such as pigs and monkeys, are still too different for every result from tests on them to be entirely accurate.
For instance, chimpanzees are immune to HIV, Malaria and hepatitis. Aspirin causes birth defects in most lab animals, but it doesn't do this to people. Paracetamol is toxic to cats and grapes and raisins can cause kidney damage in dogs.
In fact, most so-called "medical" experiments that are done on animals are actually done with money in mind, not people. That is one of the main reasons why these misleading experiments are still performed.
If a drug is passed as safe due to animal tests, it is then often given to people. If a drug passes as dangerous and unsafe due to animal tests, it is often given to people anyway because even the drug companies often know that animals have different bodies and genetic systems from us. If a person takes it and then gets any really bad side effects, the company cannot be sued because they did do the safety tests.
Myth 2# "Lab animals are always treated kindly and looked after properly".
Although some may well be treated with kindness and cared for properly, many of them are not. In fact, during investigations, animal defenders have filmed horrifying scenes that should disgust us all.
Lab animals are often shot at, held against red hot metal plates, have boiling water poured over them, force-fed dangerous chemicals, cut open, gassed, have their brains damaged with severe blows to their heads, starved, locked up and have their skin irritated by various different substances.
Lab animals are also sometimes abused outside of the experiments. Laboratory workers have been filmed punching, slapping and shaking animals before.
Myth 3# "Animals do not feel pain, have emotions or help others".
This is probably one of the biggest lies, misunderstandings, of the century. Animals definitely DO feel pain, have emotions and help others. Anyone who believes that animals do not feel pain should go and kick a dog and then watch what happens. If animals could not feel pain or fear, how do you think they would survive out in the wild?
Animals definitely do have emotions. When you tell a dog off, they will often cower away because they know that you are angry with them. Anyone who has ever had or even stayed with a cat before will know that cats are definitely more likely to scratch and bite at certain points in time than others. How else can this be explained other than in the fact that they have moods like people do?
Also, time and time again have dogs been known to pine for their owners after they have died. Hachiko carried on going to wait at the train station for his master's return until about ten years after his master had died and Greyfriar's Bobby waited by his master's grave for at least ten years before he himself died, apparently of the same illness that had killed his master.
Dogs have even been known to pine for their people when they have only gone to work or gone out for a little while. Dog behaviourists and experts often call this, separation anxiety, but a lot of it is really just loneliness and boredom. How else do you explain the scenario of a person leaving for a while and returning to get complaints from his or her neighbours about his or her dog's barking and howling and then finding broken items and chewed up furniture all over their home?
Even wild animals have been known to help others of their own species, even if they are not directly related to them. Lionesses have been known to adopt baby antelopes, wild birds will often try to save their mates' lives and even vampire bats have been adopt other members of their own species. Chimpanzees have been known to save ducklings and at least one baby boy has been rescued by a gorilla before.
If these really did not care, why do you think they did these sorts of things? Why did they bother to help out here?
Myth 4# "There is no alternative to animal testing."
There are, nowadays, so many alternatives to animal testing that it need not be used any longer. Fake skin and organs, donated cells and body parts, studies of living people and computer models can all now be used, and these can produce results that are far more relevant and useful than those optioned through animal tests.
2. Fix Missouri's property tax structure
Changing Missouri's property tax structure so we tax the land instead of the building will take away the disincentivization of improving property that the property tax structure causes.
3. Citizens for smaller government
Have you ever heard of the 1943 Current Payment Tax Act? Have you ever had taxes withheld from your paycheck? The 1943 Current Payment Tax Act (CPTA) is the law that allows our government to do that. With this law our government gets paid before we do!
Prior to this law people paid their taxes once a year but the taxes due for the present year were paid the following year. For example the taxes someone owes for 2009 before this law was passed would be paid in 2010. Can you imagine what it would do for our economy if you put the money you owed for taxes in the bank and earned interest on it for a year?
The Current Payment Tax Act was passed for the benefit of our government. Automatic withholding was passed so that taxpayers would pay their taxes on time. It had been a plan of how our Treasury Department wanted our taxes to be collected ever since the Civil War. An automatic withholding system was also promoted as a way to help make the Federal income tax permanent. By 1943 the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the income tax had only been around for thirty years. The BIR, created in 1913 with the ratification of the XVI Amendment to our Constitution, opposed the plan for the automatic withholding of taxes.
What has happened to our government since the 1943 Current Payment Tax Act was passed? Our government has grown! Why has it grown? When a business has an unending flow of money it grows. The automatic withholding of taxes from our paychecks has created an unending flow of money to our government.
No wonder our government has grown! How can we stop this? Your signing this petition will help. Please sign it today!
4. Stop the IRS from abusing Combat Zone tax deferment
This year the IRS has decided to use a loop-hole in the tax laws to extend the time they have to pay out returns. Basically, they send you a letter informing you that they are holding your return on the grounds of Combat Zone tax deferment.
You do not need to be actively involved in the Military to receive this notice. In fact, most who have received this letter aren't Military affliated in any sense. The response from the IRS is that we will just have to be patient, wait the extra 45 days they will need to review these returns AND an additional 4 to 6 months to actually get the returns to recipients.
5. Support School and Tax Savings
From 1992 to 2009 the number of students in Virginia increased 22%, the number of teachers 11%, and the administrative staff 100%. Augusta County ’s trends were in keeping. For the 2012-2013 Fiscal Year the total budget for Augusta County Public schools was $116,554,163 for approximately 10750 students. This is an annual cost of $10,840 per student.
During a similar period, 1999 to 2007, home schooling increased 75% because of an accelerating growth in the number of families that have lost confidence in public education. Meanwhile, Virginia and Augusta County, at an ever increasing annual cost to taxpayers, continues to focus on task-oriented teaching and testing programs that causes even more families to rely on home schooling and private schooling.
The solution is not more money. The solution is reducing the cost of mandated programs such as Virginia’s SOLs, the cost of administrative bureaucracy, and the cost of never-ending construction of bells-and-whistles facilities. Until the Augusta County BOS rises to its responsibility to provide objective, daylight scrutiny of school budgets the Augusta School Administration will continue to confuse their wants with student needs. Until citizens realize that it is not “for the children” but “for the adults”, costs will increase but the quality of education will decrease.
Note: Signers of this petition must include a street address to prove Augusta County residence.
6. Make MD Corporations Pay Their Fair Share!
In a time of economic distress for people across the country and in Maryland, two legislators introduced a bill to lower the corporate income tax rate by 2.25%, one in the house (Kelly Schultz) and one in the senate (David Brinkley).
The state is already facing a budget deficit and by making this tax break effective, the state would have a net loss of over $381 million next year if enacted resulting in cut backs in transportation funding and the fund for investment in higher education. Is this what you want?
Tell your legislators to vote against SB 34 and HB261 to maintain that corporations continue to pay their fair share in income taxes!
7. Capitol Levy for debt reduction and a cleaner America
To institute a capital levy on all members of Congress, congressional aides, and registered lobbyists, and their aides, for the purpose of ascertaining their wealth and holdings so that the American people can have that published knowledge.
This 10% levy be used to diminish our national debt, to set up a national recycling organization through which we as ordinary Americans can reduce the national debt by taking charge of our own future and assist the President in defining ourselves as capable and user friendly in the world market.
By earthwormme@gmail.com
8. No Tax Raise & No New Taxes
As Americans we are already paying too much in tax. Our founding fathers argued that they did not want to put a ceiling on a 10% tax rate for citizens because a future Government might have the audacity to impose such a high rate.
History supports less intrusive Government, free enterprise, and less than a 10% tax rate for all.
9. Eliminate the Tax Compliance Certificate for Importation
In 2010, the Inland Revenue Department introduced the requirement of a Tax Compliance Certificate to be presented whenever a business or an individual imports goods into Antigua and Barbuda. The Tax Compliance Certificate basically states that one is up to date with all their taxes, including and not limited to Property Taxes, ABST, Corporate Taxes and Personal Income Taxes.
Unfortunately, due to the terrible economic climate and the increase in expenses, business and individuals have found it hard to keep up with their taxes, resulting in them being ineligible for a Tax Compliance Certificate.
We understand that government needs the outstanding taxes but the money is just not there to give and when the requirement came into being, it made it even harder for business to operate. Local business contributes the most to the government of Antigua & Barbuda in the way of taxes, but if it becomes harder and harder to operate one's business, one will have no choice but to close one's business.
10. Eliminate Personal Expense Accounts of Canadian Public Servants and Politicians
No business in their right mind in this day and age offers its employees personal expense accounts when running a huge deficit.
Travel expenses are irrelevant when the internet now allows us access to the world... and no one working for any company gets free meals... transportation... 'perks'...months off... etc for no productive cause.
We, as Canadians, have a right to know how our tax dollars are spent in this executive 'branch' of government and why "luxury" personal expense accounts are still allowed amidst failing services and lack of finances to cover even the most basic of government responsibilities.
11. Save our Super
The Government is looking to reduce the current tax concessions for superannuation. This is despite all of the Government's enquiries, reports and committees plus associations such as ASFA, AIST, FPA and ASMA agreeing that superannuation is the key to a successful, worry free retirement.
Any change by the Government to superannuation tax concessions now will undermine the Australian people's confidence in superannuation. And it may be the thin edge of the wedge - a small haircut now and maybe a bigger one later?
Self reliance or social security in retirement? Which do you choose?
Save our Super now - tell the government that they must act on their word not to touch superannuation. Don't mess with our super - ever!
12. Make Them Pay Statutory Holiday Pay. It's your money!
In all my years of working retail I have noticed many small businesses/retail ignore many of the laws assigned by the government.
Statutory Holidays is the first I hope to get regulated. Statutory Holidays are days assigned by the government for gathering with your family or practicing religious holiday.
Even if you do not work the Statutory Holiday you should be receiving some pay as indicated by Labour Canada. There are a few exceptions of course. If you know nothing about Statutory Holidays please read my blog: http://hellisearth.blogspot.ca/2012/04/statutory-holidays.html, it will explain most of what you need to know.
Please support.
13. New York State Mandate Relief Now!
Tell the Legislature in Albany
to keep NY taxes predictable and affordable.
Sign the Petition for Mandate Relief NOW
NEW YORK STATE IS IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY
A PROPERTY TAX CAP WITHOUT MANDATE RELIEF IS HALF A BANDAID
THE MISSING HALF IS MEANINGFUL MANDATE RELIEF NOW
THE EMERGENCY. NYS has the highest property taxes in the nation. More people leave NYS than move into NYS. NYS’s economic and tax climate is unfriendly to seniors and retirees and discourages, instead of encourages, job creation and business growth. The State government's spending is unsustainable, escalating uncontrollably, and in the next few years will increase taxes and turn up the heat on NYS’s financial meltdown even further. The problem is a math problem - too much spending by state government and not enough money to pay for it.
MANDATE RELIEF NOW IS THE BIPARTISAN SOLUTION. In emergencies, people with common sense put politics aside and do the right thing. Mandate relief is emergency medicine which NYS urgently needs. Elected officials from different political parties at all levels of government acknowledge this. For example:
DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR CUOMO SAID, "I believe you need mandate relief and property tax relief." See video, at 12:26
“We can’t afford the public pension system we have in this state. Period... The increase in public pensions has been astronomical.”
REPUBLICAN WESTCHESTER COUNTY EXECUTIVE ROB ASTORINO SAID,
"in Westchester...Nine state mandates consume 75 cents of every property tax dollar.”
"Albany legislators are spending addicts...they are spending money with our credit card...the State Legislature has been breaking promises for years...Every mayor and county executive in New York State will tell you the same thing... Mandate relief from Albany is just as important as a property tax cap. The two must go together." See video here.
Masking state spending in local budgets prevents transparency and hides NYS Legislators’ accountability for escalating state spending which the property tax cap does not limit.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP? Sign and send the petition. Legislators have a boss, you, NYS voters. Legislator opponents of mandate relief fear informed, active, and persistent voters. Voters have lost faith in their power and ability to change state politicians responsible for local overspending. Voters are unaccustomed to uniting with other voters around NYS to solve a common problem with a common solution. Voters dispirited by NYS’s economic doom and gloom need to imagine the light at the end of the dark tunnel the Legislature's policies have created. Voter inaction perpetuates the existing, dysfunctional system and helps the same Legislators who have created NYS’s dire financial mess and oppose changes to fix it, namely Mandate Relief Now. INACTION AND APATHY BREED FURTHER DECLINE AND DYSFUNCTION OF NYS AND INTERFERENCE WITH VOTERS’ LIVES.
ORGANIZATIONS/GROUPS FAVORING MANDATE RELIEF:
BEST4NY
Empire Center for New York State Policy
Westchester-Putnam School Boards Association
Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents
NYS Association of Counties
Business Council of Westchester
Americans for Prosperity – NY
New Yorkers for Growth
Long Islanders for Educational Reform (LIFER)
Westchester County Association*
Associated General Contractors of New York State*
Business Council of New York State*
Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York*
National Federation of Independent Business*
New York Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials*
New York Farm Bureau*
New York State Association of Realtors*
New York State Council of School Superintendents*
New York State School Boards Association*
Unshackle Upstate*
*(Founding coalition members of Let New York Work, which also favors mandate relief.)
To do more, or for further information about mandate relief:
- See Mandates 101 - the Basics
- Unsure who your NYS Senator and Assemblyman are? Email them directly.
- Click the "Sign the petition" button, below.
14. Stop Illegal Immigration and Deport Criminal Immigrants
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_immigration_to_the_United_States
http://www.westernjournalism.com/obama-gives-illegal-aliens-phones-for-votes/
http://www.usillegalaliens.com/impacts_of_illegal_immigration_economic_costs.html
15. Campaign for Better Safer Roads in the Vale of Glamorgan
Roads in the Vale area are a disgrace, uneven road surfaces, multitude of potholes, poor road surfacing and poor road markings. Shoddy repairs make our roads look like patchwork quilts.
The cost to local residents in extra repairs of their cars that are affected by poor roads is ever increaseing. Recently councillors wasted a huge amount of £'s on Thompson Street in Barry, a road that was already in fairly good condition. The money could have been better spent on roads such as Princess Street which has been in a dreadful state for a long time.
We pay enough local and national taxes to use the roads but get little in return, money needs to be spent to bring our roads up to a acceptable standard. It‘s time our elected officials took action to resolve this issue to the satisfaction of those who elected them, afterall they are there to serve us aren’t they?
16. They broke it. Make them pay to fix it!
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- There is an employment crisis because of a lack of decent stable jobs.
- There is a moral crisis because the rich and well connected want the rest of us to pay for their irresponsible speculation, fraud and greed.
- There is a crisis of democracybecause our political system is dominated by people with money rather than people with good ideas.
- We've made our sacrifices. . . . We sacrificed our jobs, standard of living, health care, children's education, retirement security, the environment and the precious lives of our loved ones in wars.
Let those who caused the crisis now make their sacrifices!
17. Sensible Solutions to America's Economic Problems
It's no secret that America’s staggering gap in both income and wealth between the richest 1% and the rest of America is a primary driver in our economic woes.
Crippling consumer debt, years of decreasing worker wages, and mass layoffs for profit have all resulted in high unemployment, skyrocketing government debt, and more importantly a decimated lower and middle class unable to provide the kind of consumer demand required for sustained economic growth.
However, even under these circumstances businesses have not only managed to survive, but remarkably improve their profits year over year by simply instituting MORE mass layoffs, more outsourcing, and more tax aversion.
Some experts estimate that corporations are sitting on over $2 trillion in profits, yet they still are not creating new American jobs because there is no increased consumer demand for their products and services. The result is an economy at a stand-still.
But there are simple solutions.
One specific disturbing area of taxpayer abuse comes from the Department of Heritage and Official Languages.
It’s budget in 2010 was 3.1 BILLION – yes billion dollars of your money. We want you to know to whom that tax money was given.
Here are some "benefactors"; a group called FACTOR received $8.7 million to funnel to friends and music type projects. Factor funded a Vancouver punk rock “band” to produce an album titled Holy S*!t which contained very offensive content and graphics.
Another organization, Telefilm, received $104 million dollars last year. In the past couple of years it has funded films most Canadians would consider objectionable, including Young people F…ing, The Masturbators and The Year of the Carnivore (1.2 million ), the latter of which we question whether it contains child pornography images.
Funding for both these groups seems to given with no proper accountability or review.
The Canadian Council for the Arts received $183 Million and the National Film Board $69 Million, both annual recipients of millions of your dollars.
The CBC also received about $1.1 billion from Heritage budget last year, with a promise of more this year.
Heritage department policy and objectives state that it funds sustainable projects. The laundry list of recipients that receive money over and over is long and objectionable. Sustainable funding of unsustainable arts projects is a violation of Heritage policy. James Moore publicly bragged about how his government had given more money to the arts community in 2010 than any other government.
Canada has record debt and a large budget deficit. Taxpayers cannot afford this kind of waste.
19. Stop All Payment to the EU
We, the undersigned, taxpayers of the UK, request that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, immediately halts all and every payment to the EU.
It is a known fact that criminal fraud within the EU is so rampant, that their accounts have not been signed off for seventeen years
Secondly, allowing the signing of the Lisbon and EU Treaties, which allow it to impose its laws upon us, is High Treason.
20. STOP the Unfunded State Mandates
New York State has some of the highest school and property taxes in the nation. Unfunded and underfunded mandates passed down from both the federal level and state level are to blame.
The taxpayers of New York are fleeing the state in record numbers. We need to put pressure on our representatives in both Albany and Washington to make changes before it is too late. Sign our petition and make your voices heard!
21. Demand a third party evaluation of the penny from Parliament
http://www.creditcardscanada.ca/news/2011-02-15-penny-brief
Over the past several years, the rising cost of production of the superannuated penny has come to the public's attention. Various evaluations of the penny's production costs have been done, some higher than the Government's assessment of 1.5c. Several factors are involved in the production cost of the penny:
- Producing the one-cent coins;
- Storing them;
- Transporting them;
- Going to a financial institution to obtain, roll and deposit them
This petition is to ask for a third party evaluation of these costs to ensure the fair treatment of the penny's demise and account for funds otherwise not accounted for.
22. Lower National Taxes in Cyprus
To be justified based on the Private employees.
23. Lower Powerstream Delivery Charges
PowerStream is the second largest municipally-owned electricity distribution company in Ontario, delivering power to more than 325,000 customers residing or owning a business in communities located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario. The communities it serves include Alliston, Aurora, Barrie, Beeton, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Markham, Penetanguishene, Richmond Hill, Thornton, Tottenham and Vaughan.
The company is jointly owned by the municipalities of Barrie, Markham and Vaughan.
Powerstream charges what many customers feel are excessive delivery charges. Subscribers to Powerstream often feel helpless to complain about these charges, which can exceed the actual power consumption charges on many bills.
Enough is enough. Add your voice to demand that the Ontario Energy Board order Powerstream to lower its delivery charges, making them more reasonable and affordable to its Ontario customers.
24. Urine Test for Welfare Recipients
History dictates that at many corporate and non-corporate entities require a drug test be administered for new employment and continued employment in many cases. Taxes from said employment supports many local and federal programs including welfare.
Typically many welfare recipients require no drug testing or proof of employment. Those individuals are receiving funds from CT and all US tax payers. A drug test is a fair request of those recipients and of those who fail, they should be denied those benefits.
25. John Mica, End the BP Backdoor Bailout
BP, which is supposed to be paying for the cleanup in the Gulf, announced last week that it plans on writing off $10 billion in expenses related to the clean-up on its U.S. taxes, shifting financial responsibility for the clean-up to us, the taxpayers. In short, BP plans on creating a taxpayer funded backdoor bailout for themselves.
The idea that BP has decided to engage in a sleight of hand, backdoor bailout to abscond with our tax dollars is nauseating. Taxpayers are not responsible for the disaster in the gulf, and we shouldn’t have to pay the bill either.
26. Stop Military Funding to Israel
Israel has ignored international law and specifically U.N. Resolution 242 which calls for Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territory.
It is against U.S. law to transfer funds to Israel, a country defying this U.N. Resolution. Yet the U.S. continues to pour $3Billion U.S. taxpayers dollars into Israel yearly.
This money is used to purchase and develop weapons that are used to continue the illegal Occupation of Palestine. ..
27. A Call for the States to do Their Duty!
Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Did you know it is the CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY of your state to protect your right and liberties? We are in EMERGENCY MODE now! Washington is not listening to us, it is time our state governments earn their keep.
Sign this petition, then print it and deliver it personally, by email, by fax, by petition and any other way you can to your state legislators. Tell everyone you know to do the same.
28. Exempt Human Service Not-For-Profits From Governor Paterson's MTA Mobility Tax
The Human Services Council of New York City (HSC), representing nearly 170 not-for-profit member organizations is the voice of the human services community of New York City. For nearly twenty years HSC's mission has been to build board recognition and support for the substantial and essential contributions of the not-for-profit human service sector to the citizens and fabric of New York City.
We passionately champion the sector by proactively negotiating with State and City government for mutually beneficial, solutions-based budget, policy, and legislative reform that improve our members' work and the lives of the men, women and children they serve.
In 2009, the NYS Legislature enacted a budget that included a hastily planned Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Mobility Tax aimed at curing the authority's deficit. The MTA tax imposes a 0.34 percent payroll tax on businesses within the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District (MCTD) and does not distinguish between not-for-profits, many of which are funded primarily with public funds, and for-profit businesses.
The MTA tax has had a drastic impact on the human services sector. Unlike for-profit businesses, they do not have profit margins to pay for this additional cost. And now the Governor has proposed increasing that tax, at a time when human service agencies can least afford yet another burden on their already overstretched budgets. These agencies are suffering a loss of private dollars while also enduring numerous program cuts from the State and the City. Yet the demand for services continues to grow during this recession. The consequences of this tax will be a reduction in the amount of funding the human services sector will have to deliver essential services to the public.
HSC urges the NYS Legislature to exempt human service not-for-profits from the MTA mobility payroll tax.
29. Stop the Jersey City Tax Increase
In the waning days of your predecessors' administration, the City Council of Jersey City hastily proposed a budget that included a substantial tax increase (http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/jerseycity/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1263453994245760.xml&coll=3).
Additionally, the Council on January 27, 2010 passed a resolution on a 5 - 3 vote to petition the State of New Jersey to allow the city to raise property taxes above the legal maximum of 4%; N.J.S.A. 40A:4-45.15a).
The city has not followed the example of other states and municipalities and adjusted its expenses to the revenues it can raise. In fact, the city has not made a concerted effort to reduce its overall expenses, with the exception of cosmetic cuts such as furloughs, closing 4 fire stations and reassigning personnel, and requesting department to reduce costs.
30. Outlaw Outsourcing or Tax Companies that Outsource
Unemployment is an issue that needs to be addressed quickly. With each passing day that this situation continues, thousands of laid-off workers around run out of state and federal benefits. There are simply not enough jobs with the amount of available workers there are and this is a serious problem for many families.
The ‘real’ unemployment rate is 17.5% (.4% more than what it was in December of 1962) which includes both the unemployed and underemployed. The amount of people that want to work but cannot find a job is more than five times the level early this decade and the highest unemployment level since the Great Depression. Even having enough money to take classes to study for a new career is proving difficult for many Americans. Ironically, many jobs are being denied to many graduates because they are overqualified. What will happen to the younger generations? The older generations? How much longer can we wait, Mr. President?
Most of this mess that we are in right now could be avoided if American companies would provide their jobs to American workers and not outsource them.