R i g h t a r d i a: Don't Pimp My Plate: Another bad Florida GOP idea

Florida plates like these would disappear

Overview of the Corporate Profit License Plate Proposal

SB 716 and HB 473 creates a new third-party tax payment structure involving corporate for-profit plates.

Advocates for the many specialty plates represented by the Specialty License Plate Association are concerned this legislation will undermine existing charitable specialty plates and create a dangerous precedent.

For-Profit License Plate Billboards Threaten Laudable Charities Supported by Speciality Plates

Thanks to more than a decade’s worth of work by Florida charities, Florida has a highly successful specialty license plate system that benefits charitable, community organizations.

The charitable plate system generates tens of millions of private dollars to support good causes, from wildlife protection to autism treatment.

Corporate for-profit plates threaten to negatively impact charitable specialty plates, which are funded voluntarily by the drivers who purchase them. At the same time, many of these causes face historic budget cuts.

Top charitable specialty plates that would be impacted include: Helping Sea Turtle Survive, Protect Wild Dolphins, U.S. Marine Corps, Support Education and End Breast Cancer

To create these community benefit plates, Florida’s charities have invested millions of dollars in fees paid to the State to create and launch these plates. Start up costs amount to nearly $100,000 per plate.

Creates Sham Savings

This legislation would penalize vehicle owners who purchase a standard plate and give a break to persons who purchase corporate-sponsored plates

This differential will drive people to give up charitable plates in favor of corporate plates.

An analysis of a Florida Senate interim report shows 49.26% of existing specialty tag owners are likely to switch at a cost to the state of more than $17 million. The loss of processing fees will further reduce state revenues by an additional $4 million.

As a consequence, Florida will lose 46% of the revenue from sales of specialty plates or $23.34 per plate.

Draws the State into Taxpayer-Funded Lawsuits

The State of Florida will necessarily be drawn into expensive litigation when it tries to block offensive plates.

Federal Courts rulings say anything goes on plates once states open it up.

Economic competitors can’t be denied under the First Amendment. This also opens up our roadways for the display of potentially distasteful material on official Florida license plates.

Remember, just because something is adult-rated does not mean it is necessarily pornographic.

From advertising for the California Orange Growers to I Love NY to the Ku Klux Klan to Playboy, under this legislation, the state would be compelled to approve a range of brands and corporate logos once the for-profit corporate plate system is established.

When the DMV tries to reject a for-profit, corporate plate, all Florida taxpayers will pay to fund the legal battle. Under this bill, Florida will spend more on First Amendment cases than the state will make on the plates.

The State will always be named as a defendant. This is why the Florida Legislature has always kept to itself the decision as to whether to issue a particular type of a license plate in what will appear on it.

Puts Citizen Privacy At Risk

On its website, Dombia, Inc. (the company primarily pushing adoption of this legislation) says “Corporations will be able to harvest valuable marketing information through consumer participation.”

The proposed legislation guarantees for-profit corporations sponsoring the for-profit plates access to the names and addresses of people who buy the plate.

There are no limitations on the use or further distribution of that information, and so claims, if even purely for settlement amounts, will result.

This is likely to draw privacy act claims from citizens who privacy rights were violated, with the government as the deep pocket. The Florida DMV and its former director Carl Ford, personally, already are defendants in one class-action lawsuit filed against them based on privacy act issues.

Establishes Irresponsible Tax Model

This legislation establishes a dangerous precedent by imposing a self-interested, corporate third-party between taxpayers and their government – creating an unhealthy alliance between politicians and private tax sponsors.

In effect, with this legislation politicians are awarding exclusive contracts to corporations to pay the people’s taxes in exchange for receiving their personal information.

Pilot Program is the Proverbial Camel’s Nose

A bad idea is a bad idea no matter if it is big or small.

DMV “Pilot Corporate License Plate Program” provides a back door way of doing full program.

A pilot program just starts commission of all of these same problems on a limited geographic space, or duration of time.

Is Legislation a Sweetheart Deal for One Company?

The legislation appears to benefit one company: Dombia, Inc., an Illinois company.

Here’s what Dombia’s website says about how corporations will benefit by getting YOUR personal information from YOUR state government:

Collect Market Data – Corporations will be able to harvest valuable marketing information through consumer participation.

Under the bill, this company would be the gatekeeper for all citizens and corporations desiring to buy or offer a corporate for-profit plate. Why would Florida jeopardize the dozens of charitable causes that benefit from specialty tags to enrich one out-of-state company?

What is Dombia’s capitalization? Is it able to fund hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal court litigation that is likely to result from this process?

This is the kind of bogus stuff Republicans will do to create the illusion that taxes aren't being raised. It is a very bad idea that would further privatize Florida government and have a very limited impact of Florida taxes.

source: http://dontpimpmyplate.com/?page_id=2

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