As the week winds down to the big climax of Tax Day 2011, leftists are getting in the holiday spirit. They can be heard humming their favorite holiday tunes (“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”? “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Tax Day”?) as their excitement mounts over what Obama Claus will put under the Tax Tree for all the good little Boxers and Franks. Who’s on his naughty list? Let’s just say bad boy Paul Ryan won’t be getting any holiday goodies in his Tax Day stocking.

Oh, wait. He wouldn’t have a Tax Day stocking, because nobody in their right mind is actually celebrating April 15.

But it does seem like a good time to take stock of the most foolish and in some cases insane ways the Left employs crass political gamesmanship to stealing our money. After all, they need a whole lot of it to satisfy their insatiable hunger for government spending, and feeding this beast requires annoying us with taxes at every turn.

First up: Sales taxes on stuff you didn’t even buy

5. California (surprise!) cell phone tax

Your old cell phone has seen better days and so it’s with a spring in your step that you head over to your local cell provider store, knowing that you have FINALLY reached the date on which you can upgrade to the new slick super-duper state-of-the-art touchscreen smartphone. Even better – your cell provider is offering the latest/greatest phone for a song, so long as you re-up your service contract. No worries there – you like the service and don’t plan on switching.

So you buy your new $500 phone – but you only pay, say, $100. At the state sales tax rate of 8.25% (higher for those unfortunate enough to live in cities that tack on even more), you’ll pay an additional $8.25 in taxes. Ah, well. Anyway, you can’t wait to get home and start playing with all the nifty features and apps on your new device!

Whoa, there, intrepid cell phone buyer. Hold on a minute. You’re in California! Here in the Golden State, Governor Moonbeam and his kind, who are not dealing in reality, think that you should not be dealing in it either. So we’re going to PRETEND that you actually paid the full $500 for that phone. Which means your add-on tax will be $41.25, thank you very much – nearly half of what you actually paid for the phone.

This has been an actual true story. Had this been just an example of a true story, I would have more money in my bank account right this minute. And, my blood pressure would be lower.

Next: Vacationing won’t lower that blood pressure…