text: Boozer,
  
  This tax (call it whatever one wants) will become part of the operating costs of each company.  (I wonder if a discriminatory tax is even legal?).  Anyway, each company the tax is assessed to will make a business decision based on its own interests.  Some companies will have the pricing power to pass the whole tax on to the consumer, some will only pass on part of it, and some will not pass any of it on for a while.  But it will raise the company's operating costs and therefore at some point, the price for the product will increase unless demand falls or competition causes a price reduction(s) .
  
  At least with a sales tax it is transparent, one knows they are paying it, and can consciously decide if he or she wants to pay it.   This new tax will be much like Oregon's share of the gasoline tax paid for each gallon of gas.  In 2009 the Oregon legislature raised it from 24 to 30 cents per gallon and it has not been raised since (yet?).  It essentially is a stealth sales tax.