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Give a Democrat half a chance and he will raise taxes any time he can. He may call it a fee; he may call it a temporary increase (Massachusetts taxpayers still pay a temporary personal income tax increase passed in 1989); he may call it a surcharge, but Democrats love increasing taxes.

Heritage.org reported yesterday on President Obama’s new tax on Christmas trees.

The article reports:

President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.

My first question is, “Why do we need a federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees?” Don’t we already have enough federal programs?

The article at Heritage points out:

Acting Administrator Shipman had the temerity to say the 15-cent mandatory Christmas tree fee “is not a tax nor does it yield revenue for the Federal government” (76 CFR 69102).  The Federal government mandates that the Christmas tree sellers pay the 15-cents per tree, whether they want to or not.  The Federal government directs that the revenue generated by the 15-cent fee goes to the Board appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the Christmas tree program established by the Secretary of Agriculture.  Mr. President, that’s a new 15-cent tax to pay for a Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.

Nobody is saying President Obama doesn’t have authority to impose his new Christmas Tree Tax — his Administration cites the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996.  Just because the Obama Administration has the legal power to impose its Christmas Tree Tax doesn’t mean it should do so.

A tax by any other name…