Curveball: Should Obama pay earnings tax for All-Star pitch?
The executive pitch
Our story on Sunday discussed St. Louis Tax Collector Gregory F.X. Daly’s hope to tax the All-Star bonuses of players coming here for Major League Baseball’s midsummer classic on July 14.
But what about the starting pitcher — President Barack Obama?
Daly is aggressive about collecting the much-maligned 1 percent earnings tax. The rule is simple: Any money earned in St. Louis — even by visitors — is up for taxation.
According to the city code, the tax applies to any “salaries, wages, commissions and other compensation earned … by nonresident individuals of the city for work done or services performed or rendered in the city.”
That means, for instance, if a lawyer from Clayton or Edwardsville comes downtown to argue a case, he owes the city one percent of what he earned that day.
Under that logic, it would seem that Obama, who has agreed to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for next week’s game at Busch Stadium, would owe a prorated portion of his $400,000 salary to City Hall.
After all, the appearance is part of his official duties of office.
Taxing Albert Pujols , though, is one thing. Sending a bill to the White House? Even Daly may not swing at that pitch.
Jake,
–I hope you are secure in your job, this kind of talk could get you added to the terrorist-watch list! Of course Daly should and will send a bill to the Obama for his “work” here.
–But why stop there? What about all the secret-service and brown-shirts that travel with him? Brilliant! Just wish I had thought of it.
–Now that you’ve got me thinking, what about all of those out-of-town journalists that will be here? Some for more than one day, I’d bet. Let’s bill them all…have we even considered the state taxes?
What a horrible law. Sounds like a blatant attempt at double taxation.
Since this is how the good ol’ boys running the plantation known as St. Louis city do business, it’s not hard to understand the city’s decline. How long have Daly and Lil Thug Slay known each other, again?
The law about when to collect is unclear to me. Seems like a stupid law but if it is the law and if Obama falls into the category that he owes the taxes like everyone else, then bill him. Daly should be kicked out of office if he doesn’t bill the WH if taxes are due.
Especially since Obama’s family makes more than $250,000 because they are the only people who are supposed to get tax increases. Oh wait, Obama already broke that promise. Never mind.
They say you tax what you want less of and subsidize what you want more of. People who actually earn an income are leaving St. Louis City in droves, so this 1% tax on earnings must be working!
Why only his salary? He receives free housing, a chef, and a variety of other services that have calculable monetary value. If the president of Anheuser-Busch got a free house, it would be considered taxable income. So maybe Daly should tax Obama for the value of all that other stuff too. That should get St. Louis back in the headlines for a day.
The answer is that technically, he should. The answer also is that whatever he pays, we (the taxpayer) pay. So it is an exercise in futility. Make him pay, then we pay. And then we pay more. Oops, didn’t mean to get political. But it is still factual. We will pay and pay. And that is going to be happening way past July 14th. We don’t have to argue, just check your 1040 return next year and you will know the truth.
Interesting. Seems like I raised this question yesterday and now it’s a blog item. Very cool. Yes, he should pay - and so should all the people he’s surrounded by that day - Secret Service, media, etc. Even the pilots who land at Lambert - because it’s city owned and run.
I wouldn’t tax the President. The Cardinals are already short on pitching, especially southpaws, and as Obama is a lefty (sorry for the pun)just make him pitch a couple innings of relief for the National League. Can’t you just see him warming up in the bullpen?
I say make him pitch for the American League!