Governor Christie (NJ) Plans to Steal Gift Card Balances to Pump Up State Coffer

[Freeper]

Hannah Bell Donating Member (1000+ posts)  Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list    Fri Nov-19-10 06:35 AM
Original message
Governor Christie (NJ) Plans to Steal Gift Card Balances to Pump Up State Coffers
   
Edited on Fri Nov-19-10 06:35 AM by Hannah Bell
Unbelievable. This guy has a crooked history & you can tell it in his budgeting ideas.

http://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/2010/11/christi...

Wow - the governor with the big mouth and the even bigger ego just won't stop his power and money grabs.

This time he and the Jersey legislature cooked up a scheme to take unused gift card money:


A federal judge has put a temporary stop to New Jersey's plan to generate up to $80 million from unused gift cards, calling cards and money orders.

To help balance the state budget this summer, lawmakers passed a bill allowing the state to claim proceeds of gift cards purchased in New Jersey if customers don't use them within two years. The state would claim funds from inactive travelers' checks and money orders after three years.

The new law was to go into effect earlier this week, but over the weekend U.S. District Court Judge Freda Wolfson issued a temporarily restraining order keeping it from being enforced until a hearing can be held....

Currently, if a gift card goes unused, the issuing business keeps the money. Under the new law, the state could collect the money after the waiting period.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9588948

hobbit709 Donating Member (1000+ posts)  Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list    Fri Nov-19-10 06:39 AM
Response to Original message
1. Scratch a repuke, find a thief in one form or another.
   
I would leave one or two cents balance on any old cards. It would cost them more to process than they would get.

Uben Donating Member (1000+ posts)  Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Donate to DU!    Fri Nov-19-10 06:40 AM
Response to Original message
2. That is government theft
   
I got a better idea, why not confiscate political donations and war chests if they are more than two years old?

DonCoquixote (1000+ posts)  Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list    Fri Nov-19-10 06:41 AM
Response to Original message
3. Great   Updated at 6:27 PM
   
So now you will discourage people from using Gift cards because you will not only steal them, but steal them to pay the rich bastards off!

John Corzine was an ass, but frankly, NJ, state of my birth (Margaret Hague hospital, like the politicians say in Mayoral campaigns), frankly, you are on your way to having all the dirt of the North, and the stupidity of Dixie, NOT the combo you want!

Hmmm this reminds me of something.
Oh yeah it reminds me of conservatives talking about taxes.
These goons will gladly pay an extra 5% to the IRS as long as they raise taxes on the rich too.
At least you can opt out of this gift card penalty by simply using the damn thing.
Try to opt out of taxes. And see what happens. Unless you are a Democratic congressman from NY you could get in real trouble.

[thundley4]

Illinois considered doing this several years ago under Rod Blagothebitch.

[franksolich]

Illinois considered doing this several years ago under Rod Blagothebitch.

Uh huh.

Just about everything the primitives accuse the (R)s of doing, there can be found a precedent where the Dems did it first.

I'm not aware of any exception.

[Karin]

So now you will discourage people from using Gift cards because you will not only steal them, but steal them to pay the rich bastards off!

Am I missing something here?  Does this make sense?  Wouldn't it encourage people to go ahead and make their purchases?   Anyway, seems to me lots of states have abandoned property laws.  Visiting Google for 1 minute reveals that New York and Massachusetts have Unclaimed Funds laws with offices and staffs to skarf them up.

 

[Chris_]

How is this any worse than the Clinton and Obama administrations scheming to hit every 401k and IRA in the country with a one-time 15% "fee"?

[Ballygrl]

Oh cool, the DU and Steve Lonegan (ultra conservative in NJ) are on the same page Steve is leading the charge against this BTW.

[FlaGator]

Wyoming allows businesses to do this. When I worked with AT&T their pre-paid card center was in Cheyenne and by Wyoming law if a prepaid card (or a gift certificate) had an expiration date and there was unused money on that card or gift certificate after the expiration date then the company (not the government) could claim it and consider it profit. To my knowledge Wyoming is the only state to do this. All other states force companies to keep unused funds in an escrow account indefinitely. However, most of these cards and gift certificates now have monthy maintenance changes that will eat up the total value of the instrument with in a year.

[true_blood]

Uben Donating Member (1000+ posts)  Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Donate to DU!    Fri Nov-19-10 06:40 AM
Response to Original message
2. That is government theft

You mean, like the way the imposter is currently doing with his redistribution of wealth? Got'cha.

[GOP Congress]

For once, I am more in agreement with a DUmmie than a republican, even a conservative republican.

WHAT BUSINESS is if of the state to dictate the terms of a PRIVATE TRANSACTIONAL CONTRACT? When I purchase a gift card from a business to give to someone, then the only rules that apply should be the company I bought the card from. If the company states that a customer has 2 years to use the card or forfeit the money, then that is the rule. (Here is typical Gift Card Policy). But the government cannot force a company to turn THAT money over, which is THEFT. This is not even a TAX.

Yes, I'm agreeing with a DUmmie over a conservative (though the Dummie has absolutely NO IDEA on WHY he's right). Governor Christie had best look into other revenue streams; better yet, advocate a reduction of state tax rates to achieve such an increase in revenue.

[chitownchica]

Man, I sure hate siding with a DUmmie on this. I think expiration dates on gift cards are bad policy.  The buyer paid real money, so why shouldn't they be honored?  It's up to the company, of course, so buyer beware.  Having a state take that money though? How do they have the authority to do it?  Guess I'll go read about it.

BTW, I LOVE Chris Christie, so I'm nothing like a DUtard in that regard 

[thundley4]

The difference is , that the DUmmies would love this idea if Lord Zero had proposed the federal government do the same.

[jukin]

I take it that DUmmys do not pay taxes but do receive gift cards that they then lose.

[Ballygrl]

I know Christie isn't perfect, but when he does things like this you just have to him:

http://www.therightscoop.com/awesome-chris-christie-tells-of-apology-from-president-of-teachers-union

[txradioguy]

Here's a novel idea DUmmies...clean your room in mom's basement find all those gift cards that people give you for presents cause they can't by dime bags and refuse to go to the MSNBC store and buy you a Special Keith t-shirt and USE THEM!

FFS you have up to three years to redeem them before the $$$ goes back to the business!