Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle was at the U.S. Conference of Mayors this week to brainstorm solutions to various problems with his fellow hizzoners. Omaha, for one, needs to make improvements to its sewer system to the tune of $1.7 billion. So it makes perfect sense for Suttle to suggest a simple way to get to the source of this problem:
Among the items on his brainstorming list: a proposal for a 10-cent federal tax on every roll of toilet paper you buy. Based on the four-pack price for Charmin double rolls Tuesday at a midtown Hy-Vee, such a tax would add more than 10 percent to the per-roll price, pushing it over a buck.
But just because Scuttle is throwing this out there doesn’t mean he’s on board with it; he’s just come up with solutions:
The idea came from a failed 2009 House measure by an Oregon congressman to help cities and the environment. “I heard about it and said, ‘Well, this is simple. Let’s put it on the table,’” said Suttle. “It doesn’t mean I endorse it.
Suttle unrolls toilet paper tax [OWH via TaxProf]
