1% Sales Tax Extension (Milton: loans, lawyer, homes)

[MartyGras]

First of all it's not an increase it's a vote to keep the tax at the same level.

And to paraphrase mr&mrssunshine be glad you don't live in the northeast where we have the highest auto insurance, property taxes are $10,000 and sales taxes run between 7 and 8.75%

Gary

[the searchers]

Then you have to wonder how Lee County does it with just 6% sales tax.

[MartyGras]

Originally Posted by the searchers

Then you have to wonder how Lee County does it with just 6% sales tax.

You can't compare the two Lee has a budget of $1.89 billion and Charlotte $564 million

Gary

[wpc691]

Originally Posted by MartyGras

First of all it's not an increase it's a vote to keep the tax at the same level.

And to paraphrase mr&mrssunshine be glad you don't live in the northeast where we have the highest auto insurance, property taxes are $10,000 and sales taxes run between 7 and 8.75%

Gary

The old "moral equivalence" argument doesn't make me feel any better. Utterly obscene taxes in the Northeast shouldn't justify letting taxes here creep that way. And canceling a tax reduction feels like an increase to me. Eight years from now the bureaucrats will propose making it permanent, and the year after that, they'll propose a new "temporary" 1 penny increase, claiming to be heroes for slowing the rate of increase to only 14.3%. It never ends.

[Harbor Hopper]

"It is getting harder and harder to support the government in the style to which it has become accustomed" -Author Unknown

[born01930]

Originally Posted by wpc691

The old "moral equivalence" argument doesn't make me feel any better. Utterly obscene taxes in the Northeast shouldn't justify letting taxes here creep that way. And canceling a tax reduction feels like an increase to me. Eight years from now the bureaucrats will propose making it permanent, and the year after that, they'll propose a new "temporary" 1 penny increase, claiming to be heroes for slowing the rate of increase to only 14.3%. It never ends.

Exactly...we need to nip it in the bud now. If ever we could make it so politicians can't make any money in office then we would see people in office that are there because they care. Right now most of them are there only for the power rush or to get rich. Is there anything more permanent than a temporary government program?

[the searchers]

I have not researched the history of the additional 1% Charlotte County sales tax but I would venture a guess that when it was first proposed it was sold as a temporary addition that would be dropped when no longer needed.

What it has turned out as is a way to finance wish lists. Some good expenditures may be in the lists over the years and some not so good.

I am leaning towards voting out the 1% on this trip and we can always vote it back in the future.

The way they want to extend this vote to be good for 8 years makes me understand what wpc691 said about it eventually being permanent. Though at this time I think by statute it has to be approved by the county voters.

[MartyGras]

You make a good point about the length of time.

Reducing it to 2 years would probably have the effect of making them use the money in ways that would meet the approval of the voters.

8 years gives them too many years to spend the money on crap that the voters will soon forget about.

Gary

[MikMal]

Originally Posted by jolynch57

.... I cant wait to leave MD and move to FL.

Best move I ever made!

[SJNE17]

any "temporary" tax that is approved will become permanent. that's all but guaranteed!

i can remember a time when i lived in the bay area, calif. and there was a temporary tax approved to pay for repairing extensive damage from the big earthquake in '89.

~25 years later, that tax is still in place....