Kansas Republicans look to profit off abortion taxes

Source: Raw Story

Kansas Republicans look to profit off abortion taxes

Lawmakers in Kansas will consider next week a sweeping anti-abortion bill that would, among other things, levy sales taxes on any and all abortion procedures, related healthcare expenses and any company that might do business with an abortion provider — a proposal that could bring millions into state coffers, or just force clinics to shut down.

“Why not slap a $100, $200, $300 tax on an abortion?” Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, the largest anti-abortion advocacy group in Kansas, asked Raw Story on Friday. “I’m completely against most forms of taxation, but abortion is such an abhorrent procedure, I would like to see it wiped out with a $2,000 or $3,000 tax on every abortion that happens in Kansas.”

Massive in scope, H.B. 2598 includes provisions being considered in other states as well, like offering doctors immunity from malpractice lawsuits if they do not inform expectant mothers of prenatal health problems that could lead to an abortion; a removal of important tax credits provided to most healthcare institutions; requiring doctors to lie to patients by claiming that abortions may cause breast cancer; forcing women to hear the heartbeat of their fetus before an abortion; and even prohibiting state employees from contributing to the teaching of basic sexual health facts.


The sales tax, however — an innocuous-sounding 6.5 percent — is layered, effectively making it a repeating tax on every service rendered, every product purchased and every sale made in furtherance of an abortion. It also strips certain tax credits for companies that do business with women’s health providers, making such requests a potentially costly proposition.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/09/kansas-republicans-look-to-profit-off-abortion-taxes/