Are you still working? Are you getting a raise next year? Have your retirement investments made the big turn around?
Now our government servants are planning to pile on even more by spending money to study a jail...again, by having discussions about how nice the city hall will be once that work is done, that is, once the taxpayers finish paying for it. How do they do it? The county has even found a "new" way to figure out how much to stick you for the right to live on the property you think you own. Why should anyone have to pay the government for the rest of their lives to live on a piece of property you have already paid for in the first place? Property taxes are the lowest form of scam. It's right up there with paying 100 times the actual cost to have water in your house and a sewer to flush it to when you're through.
Your elected leaders need to hear from you. If the Port of Astoria can retire it's debt and provide private sector jobs in the process why can't all the other governments do the same, or at very least show some self control acknowledge that times are really tough and try hard not to make things worse?
I can absolutely guarantee you just one thing. Until the people put their collective foot down there will be no change because there is no mandate to do so until YOU speak up.
I ask these questions because everybody running the governments around Clatsop County thinks these are boom times. It's just amazing to me that nobody running the Cities, Schools, or the County for that matter has taken any action to ease the burdens of those they represent. When I think about people making the very low average income in this county and the many who make far less, I wonder why it seems all these councils and commissions are talking about spending more money on unnecessary luxuries like parks or talking about far less important matters like whether the new grass will be ready for the new ball field we all ended up paying to build and patting themselves on the back for paying one guy $200-grand a year to save $300-grand a year on that worthless aquatics center. The cost of government services has increased because we have governments focused on nice amenties rather than simple survival. Check your water and sewer bill, or take a good look at your property tax statement. Shouldn't we be discussing ways to decrease this burden? Shouldn't we be seeing projects delayed or halted altogether? Please don't tell me I paid to take down the Darigold building (both Darigold buildings) to say nothing of that miserable downtown Astoria block. What a mistake it was for the city to get involved in that.
Now our government servants are planning to pile on even more by spending money to study a jail...again, by having discussions about how nice the city hall will be once that work is done, that is, once the taxpayers finish paying for it. How do they do it? The county has even found a "new" way to figure out how much to stick you for the right to live on the property you think you own. Why should anyone have to pay the government for the rest of their lives to live on a piece of property you have already paid for in the first place? Property taxes are the lowest form of scam. It's right up there with paying 100 times the actual cost to have water in your house and a sewer to flush it to when you're through.Your elected leaders need to hear from you. If the Port of Astoria can retire it's debt and provide private sector jobs in the process why can't all the other governments do the same, or at very least show some self control acknowledge that times are really tough and try hard not to make things worse?
I can absolutely guarantee you just one thing. Until the people put their collective foot down there will be no change because there is no mandate to do so until YOU speak up.
Amen!
ReplyDeleteHow is the Aquatic Center worthless? It provides much much value to all segments of our community, from young to old. It is the ONE thing here where our money is WELL spent. People gain swimming skills, exercise, therapy and entertainment. I suppose you'd like all our kids to stay home playing videogames and getting fat? Plus it provides many well-needed jobs. Otherwise, I agree with your speech this morning.
ReplyDeleteBut, as for the guy who called in about the 1% tax on all financial transactions? Come on. Urban legend! http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/barackobama/a/Obama-One-Percent-Transaction-Tax.htm
Unknown...Right now we're just worried about those kids that don't have enough to eat so getting fat isn't the issue and those are government jobs Unknown, so those kind of jobs just bleed everyone for more money. Really, wouldn't you rather see the city spend less, require less taxes and fees? At very least this would help families who can go for walk to get exercise for free.
ReplyDeleteTom, I agree. We have for too long demanded government do the nice to have things in addition to the needed things. Since the government has money left over or could get grants, why not? But, when, as now, times get tough and government has to cut, what do we expect to happen? Unfortunately, the political response has been to cut the necessary things and save the nice to have. Cutting police and fire while saving the pool proves the point. Not that long ago, Astoria had a,perfectly adequate pool that was out doors and open in the summer. Then, a couple of guys convinced the city and residents that a grand aquatics center was needed and would pay for itself. The City sucumed to popular opinion and bought that grand aquatics center that was never before needed and, lo and behold, it has now become absolutely necessary to the community. Of course, it does not apy for itself and it continually costs more and more and more, but we have to keep it at all costs for reasons explained by "unknown".
ReplyDeleteHow about government getting back to the basics and let private business provide the nice to have? That would make this downturn an good thing.
Great blog! In a few parts of the blog and his comments, Tom sounds a bit like a closeted 99%er. Go figure!
ReplyDeleteProperty taxes in Clatsop County aren’t particularly burdensome, but Oregon’s property tax system with its freakish concept of maximum assessed value is broken.
Tom applauds the Port of Astoria for retiring its bond debt, but isn’t all county and city bond debt amortizing? If not, what city and county bonds are not amortizing?
Tom throws out a lot of rhetoric, as well as unsupported numbers (“… paying 100 times the actual cost to have water in your house and a sewer to flush it …”). How about telling how you came up with the “100 times”? Is it too much for Tom to quantify how his list of his disliked government expenditures actually impact a typical property tax bill?
In Tom’s World what property taxes and fees should be eliminated? What services will then be eliminated. What will be the net benefit to the average property taxpayer?
I don’t use the aquatic center, but it serves a beneficial purpose and adds to the overall quality of life. I don’t mind supporting it. If Tom would provide the actual operating revenue and operating expenses for the aquatic center, his argument might be stronger, or weaker. For now his comments are just rhetoric.
Tom on property taxes: “Why should anyone have to pay the government for the rest of their lives to live on a piece of property you have already paid for in the first place? Property taxes are the lowest form of scam”. Wow! I wonder what is going on in Tom’s head? It would be very, very interesting to hear more about Tom’s world without property taxes or a world where property taxes end upon some trigger. Is this the usual anti-tax rant of the fringe anti-tax groups, or a unique Tom F concept? Love to hear more about how it works!
My favorite Tom F comment (for the thought, not the grammar): “Until the people put their collective foot down there will be no change because there is no mandate to do so until YOU speak up.” Didn’t Fox TV show a similar statement on a sign carried by one of the Occupy Wall Street group [smile].
Riverbear...What a great idea! A post about a world where property taxes were never imposed. I'm working on that. I never claimed to be a great writer (I'm certainly not!) I tend to write the way I speak so errors in grammer are, unfortunately, inevitable. I am the 99% and the 54%.
ReplyDeleteTry this on for size.
ReplyDeleteInstead of eliminating real property taxes, I suggest eliminating all federal and state income taxes and levying a federal and state tax on real property. The tax is based on the fair market value of the property, without any adjustments, exclusions, exceptions etc.
A major problem with taxation of income is that it is relies on truthful reporting of income, and we all know that doesn’t happen. The unpaid tax on unreported income is too great to measure. Real property is finite, and collection of taxes based on real property is almost infallible when compared to collecting taxes based on income.
The huge bureaucracy of the Internal Revenue Service and state revenue offices could almost be entirely eliminated. The federal government would contract with already existing county tax collectors to collect the federal real property tax. Expensive and time consuming income tax filings and other compliance requirements would be eliminated.
The federal tax on real property is paid by the landowner, and passed on to tenants, if applicable.
I am sure there are unforeseen consequences of this idea, but Federal taxation of real property would have no uncollectable taxes, and most like would be significantly simpler than the taxation of income. Take a few hours and try and thumb through the Internal Revenue Code, Income Tax Regulations (in the Code of Federal Regulations), IRS Revenue Rulings, IRS Procedures, case law from Tax Courts, District Courts, Appellate Courts and the Supreme Court. Additionally, consider how much time is spent (wasted) in Congress enacting an endless stream of income tax bills.
Take the idea for a spin. Kick the tires.