In my opinion, they’re going to raise taxes – somehow, some way, some time. At least with a sales tax, everybody bears the burden, not just the property owners. No, they won’t cut the property tax, but if they pass this local option sales tax increase, they’ll have a much tougher time raising the property taxes, too. Not that they probably won’t try.
The most encouraging sign here is that Mr. Robinson is proposing to (finally!) trim the size of county government by eliminating actual positions. This is an important precedent, and I think it makes far more sense to force him do this via a bargain on the sales tax: we’ll give you the splost, but you must cut all the positions you proposed plus impose the other measures you proposed to reduce the county’s expenditures.
Finally, there is real danger in the just-say-no approach: if the county lets certain mandated programs fall short, the state/feds will impose a solution. At least with the splost, we get a voice.
I’m not for higher taxes, but as a property owner, I’m eternally hostage to the tax and spend crowd. At least with a sales tax, I have the option of getting in the car and shopping somewhere else. If enough business go under here, maybe these county officials will finally get the picture and scale the whole enterprise back to fit the actual economic circumstances in Rockingham County.
I’m voting yes on the sales tax increase, but I applaud your efforts to raise everyone’s awareness on the tax issues here.
P.T. Deutermann
