Obamas Christmas tree tax is insanity defined

Barrack Hussein Obama has lost his mind guys! Taxing us for buying a real tree because many have made a choice to buy an artificial tree is insanity! In a down economy with nearly 10 percent of Americans unemployed, our dictator chooses to put another tax on you at the time of year when you want to give to others! Wow! This man must be voted out of office! He has collectively lost touch with all reality!

By Jon Swaine, Washington
Last Updated: 7:01PM GMT 09/11/2011
A tax on Christmas trees has been approved by President Barack Obama’s administration.

The charge of 15 cents (9p) per tree has been given the go-ahead by Mr Obama’s agriculture department, despite the president being portrayed as a tax-hungry Left-winger by Republicans across the country.

The ‘Christmas Tree Promotion, Research and Information Order’ was supported by much of the tree industry, which will receive $2 million (£1.2 million) for promoting natural trees over their fake substitutes.

The National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) said that it was “pleased” with the decision, which came after years of “drastic” reductions in demand for real trees.

Sales of fresh Christmas trees in the US have fallen from 37 million in the early 1990s to 31 million in 2007, according to the agriculture department.

Meanwhile artificial tree sales almost doubled to 17.4 million between 2003 to 2007.

The revenue collected from the new tax is to be used to establish a 12-person Christmas Tree Promotion Board, which will decide how to promote the benefits of households buying real trees.

It is to be imposed on “producers and importers” of fresh Christmas trees, who sell or import more than 500 trees a year.

The NCTA insisted: “The program is not expected to have any impact on the final price consumers pay for their Christmas tree.” But critics predicted it would indeed quickly be passed on to buyers.

“Just because the Obama Administration has the legal power to impose its Christmas Tree Tax doesn’t mean it should do so,” said David Addington, a vice president of the Heritage Foundation.

“The economy is barely growing and nine per cent of the American people have no jobs. Is a new tax on Christmas trees the best President Obama can do?”

Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform, took to Twitter to say that Mr Obama was a cross between Scrooge and the Sheriff of Nottingham.