Florida state Senator Al Lawson has proposed a 2¢-per-roll tax on toilet paper to help smaller, but booming, communities pay for wastewater treatment and upgrading sewer facilities. He says it is only fair that those who use the facilities the most should pay the most for them.

Frankly, I’m surprised that a Democrat would come up with such a scheme:

• It is known that Democrat oppose consumption taxes as a replacement for income taxes, which has similarities to what Lawson is proposing here.
• Such a tax scheme would place an “unfair” burden on large families which need the toilet paper the most. Wealthier families tend to be small, so the the Lawson scheme would be unfairly on our poorer citizens.
• It is discriminatory towards women, who go through TP and a prodigious rate. Just because men don’t have to wipe every time they pee doesn’t mean that they don’t contribute as much in wastewater.

Meanwhile, the Republican Senate President has promised “to get to the bottom” of the issue real soon, and Gov. Jeb notes that such a tax might mean people will use less of the product which is “not necessarily a good thing”.