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California plans for collecting taxes on spaceflight
- Thread starter hockeythug
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- SpaceX
at some point they'll run out of things to tax.
Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
I'm not even sure what exactly they are proposing to tax. Sounds like BS to me. It's a shame Republicans have ruined their reputations as otherwise they could be credible opponents to something like this.
ccutrer
Active Member
When they say "how far" they mean "how high". But I don't understand why it's inversely proportional - i.e. a GTO orbit would be taxed less than an LEO orbit. Go to the moon or mars, and it would be even less. This whole thing seems weird. By all means, tax the cost of the launch, but based on the cost of the launch, not some weird arbitrary metric. I also love how they say having the tax will attract more businesses, due to more certainty. Hmm, let me see... go somewhere where I know I'll have to pay tax, or somewhere else where I might have to pay tax, but probably not. Geniuses here.
NikeWings
Active Member
Sacramento geniuses might be envisioning our Mojave desert becoming an evenutal space tourist launch pad. Many many launches orbiting earth at various inner space-like altitudes as opposed to deep commercial exploration. Not many areas around the country that can be mobilized for space tourists as well as Mojave.......its already littered with space tourist start ups run by ex NASA guys/gals and Virgin Galactic getting in on the expected fun. Plenty of acreage to become the Disneyland of Space Travel up there.
wow, I guess you don't understand the political situation in CA.
There are a lot of startups that test engines and rockets near Edwards that would probably be hurt by this a lot more than someone like SpaceX.
So who will be paying for this tax? The launch company or the satellite manufacturer? It sounds like the launch company. A lot of the launches are Federal government launches out of Vandenberg. Will the state of California be charging the Feds for their launches?
Quote from the article": Thomas Lo Grossman, a tax attorney at the Franchise Tax Board, said the proposed rules are designed to mirror the ways taxes are levied on terrestrial transportation and logistics firms operating in California, like trucking or train companies. Those rules are based largely on the way California and other states calculate taxes when goods are shipped from one state to another."
If the tax is not onerous, it won't matter. At this point I don't see any analyses of the projected financial impact to companies like SpaceX. So let's not get carried away with our criticism until the facts are known.
Quote: "The Franchise Tax Board says it received input from the private space companies on the proposed rules, which largely resemble a draft submitted by SpaceX".
That sentence is poorly worded. Do the rules proposed by the FTB "resemble" the SpaceX draft, or does the SpaceX draft "resemble other drafts submitted by other space companies? I can't tell.
Okay so my spacecraft goes to 250 miles up, does 20 orbits, and so travels 532,000 miles. Should get the lowest rate...
Taxing space flights just makes us less competitive with other launch organizations and countries. Costs us jobs. Too much tax and they will find another location (state or country) to launch in the orbits that Vandenberg affords them.
Even for Jerry's Kids this sounds risky. Do you really want to piss off folk who can drop something on Sacramento at 17,500mph? "Oppssy! Did that hit anything? My bad."
Ever wonder why many California actors are very vocal democrats? They got a tax break to support the regime for the election. Tax Breaks for Hollywood Moguls Are a Sham, USC Studies Say
Ever wonder why many California actors are very vocal democrats? They got a tax break to support the regime for the election. Tax Breaks for Hollywood Moguls Are a Sham, USC Studies Say
Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
I still don't get it. What exactly is being taxed? The only credible tax I can think of would be a carbon tax for carbon emissions of launch. Otherwise, there is nothing to tax about it. It's not like air crews will how to go into the sky and resurface the air. The space companies aren't selling their rockets, just rides on them. Are rides being taxed? Is that the idea? I never use taxis. Do taxi passengers pay tax on their ride fares? I don't get it. That wouldn't be the space companies paying tax, but rather the customers. Is that the idea? They aren't paying any taxes already? For the space company, there is nothing to tax, other than the already mentioned carbon emissions.
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