Is California considering a tax on breathing? No, that's not true: the headline originated from a Christian themed satire website, not from a real news site. It is not true.
The story originated from an article published by The Babylon Bee on December 17, 2018 titled "California Considering Tax On Breathing" (archived here) which opened:
SACRAMENTO, CA--The California legislature unveiled plans last week for a new tax on the privilege of breathing.
The "Check Your Oxygen Privilege Act" will be voted on later this week. If passed into law, Californians will pay a progressive tax on inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide, with wealthier residents paying as much as 40% of their income for every breath they take. The poorest tax bracket may receive a subsidy for their breaths under the new model.
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail so to some people it may have looked like real news (after all, it is California we are talking about):
California Considering Tax On Breathing
SACRAMENTO, CA--The California legislature unveiled plans last week for a new tax on the privilege of breathing.The "Check Your Oxygen Privilege Act" will be voted on later this week. If passed into law, Californians will pay a progressive tax on inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide, with wealthier residents paying as much as 40% of their ...
Just to be sure we checked the website of the California legislature and there is no such bill on the table:
Bill Search
And of course "The Babylon Bee" comes with following dislaimer on every page:
The Babylon Bee is Your Trusted Source For Christian News Satire.
We wrote about babylonbee.com before, here are our most recent articles that mention the site:
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