To the editor:
I am not sure how the rest of you feel about the new tax that has been added to your property tax this year, which the council has called it a BASIC TAX, but I for one do not like it.
First off, for some of us, it has raised our taxes anywhere from $100 to $400 unless you are one of the lucky ones that didn’t see an increase or saw a reduction.
Yes, they have lowered the mill rate which shows the taxes are down but now add in the Basic Tax and we went up, unless you are in a larger newer home than those of us in smaller, older homes. The way I see it is I am now making up the difference for those that got a reduction. The council says they are not getting any more tax money than they did last year. No, they are probably not, because those of us that got raised are making up the difference.
Also, now that the Council has put this Basic Tax in place, what is stopping them from raising it each year (not a thing). This year it is $400. What will it be next year or the year after (800)? They now have the right to do whatever they see fit, it will never go down.
How did they manage to implement this tax without the voters consent? I feel this is a real slap in the face to us voters who never got a chance to give our opinion or at least vote on it.
Another thing that was mentioned is they want to see everyone pay the same amount for essential services and encourage others to move here and build. So if the taxes are too high for their larger homes they want to build, they would not build here but go elsewhere? Well, in my opinion, if you can afford to build a larger than average home, then you should be able to afford the high tax, not lower ones.
I may not have made much sense in this letter, but I do know that the tail end figure on our taxes is up and I should not have to pay the piper so others can see a reduction.
A have one last question. Would the council like to see all the older homes torn down and made empty lots? You would still get a tax for the lot of $150 instead of $1025 or in some cases turn the key and walk away, then you would get nothing.
Val Curran
