All Tax Hat and No Cowboy
And what do frustrated moonbats who have no clue how town meeting works but do have a ton of money do with themselves in the middle of the third year of a NH taxpayer revolt?
Why they make up a phony name, most of which was stolen from legitimate NH taxpayer groups, and then flex their moonbat muscles in front of an adoring press like a bunch of greased up dumbbell lifters at a Vegas bodybuilders convention.
Take for instance this gaggle of lefties who took part of Granite State Taxpayers and The Coalition of Taxpayers names and crafted some non-binding warrant article for town meetings where they suggest they can lower property taxes with an assault against “The Pledge” of Governor Mel Thomson fame, currently collected by CNHT. Pledging to oppose income or sales taxes is a popular as ever thanks to the new Spendocrat majorities in the Legislature and our limp little Governor who could not stop them.
What was it Ben Franklin said about a man who thinks he can tax himself into prosperity must also believe he can stand in a bucket and lift himself with the handle.
Income taxers took a hiding in Grafton when locals, thinking like old Ben, out-smarted them with this amended version:
"RESOLVED: We the citizens of Grafton, NH believe in a New Hampshire
that is just and fair. The property tax has become unjust and unfair. State leaders who have increased State spending 17% in the last budget perpetrate higher and higher property taxes. We call on our State Representatives and our Governor to reduce the
irresponsible spending in Concord, which will lower the property tax burden for the residents of New Hampshire."
Guess what, income taxers. Voters just took care of business all over the state last Tuesday when they voted down millions of spending proposals from Coos to the sea. They did not need your help at all. And this Saturday many more towns will do the same.
The Coalition of New Hampshire Taxpayers will be collecting THE PLEDGE at our July 5, Taxpayer Family Reunion, Independence Day Cookout at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds as usual, and we expect a banner year for it.
In fact, we may just dedicate our 2008 Cookout to THE PLEDGE.
Ed Naile
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That's why towns like Merrimack who have been pushing for a new library do not donate that much toward it but when articles came up in the past to fund putting tax dollars into saving for it they jumped at it. Merrimack however learned a very valuable lesson... what the tax man taketh, the tax man can give back. Funny though that only then when the capital reserve fund came up was the term "fair" used, as in it isn't fair that all this money taken via taxes is going back to some people who just moved to town and never paid into the savings. There was no thoughts about fair when they took the money against the will from people struggling to make ends meet or who would rather have saved it for their kids college fund or what have you.
So this isn't about "fair" in the aspect of lowering costs, its about "fair" as in SHIFTING the costs.
In liberalese "fair" means more.
Have you invited Rep Hades and She Porker to your pig roast in July? I remember that Fernald used to show up in his Subaru.
They can come watch people stand in line to sign THE PLEDGE.
We had Mark Fernald dishing out hot dogs a few years back, your right!
Maybe we can have Grover Norquist back as well.
Just an after thought.
Isn't Mark Fernald driving a Sorosabu now?
In our CNHT office I have a PLEDGE with Governor Lynch's signature on it...
right next to mine.
And what did the GSFTC do to incur Ed's invective? They asked the voters to tell their representatives to look at alternatives to NH's reliance on the property tax to fund public education. Ed doesn't even want people to think about alternatives. Too progressive, apparently.
The Fair Tax folks got their warrant article on 89 town ballots. So far 93% of the towns have passed it.
Mike how do you figure 93% when 67 towns passed it and 24 towns voted it down in the two years they've been up to this? Adds up to around 70%.
Also Mike you should take notice to the towns that did pass it. How many also voted down spending increases? What does that tell you? Tells me that towns do NOT want the double digit spending increases we are seeing by Democrats in the state and federal levels (largest tax hike in US history and Hodes and Shea Porter supported it, you must be so proud).
And out of this years town and school meetings he crows about a non-binding warrant article that hides its intent.
While our taxpayer groups were doing the responsible thing and trimming costs - not spending 17.5% more than last year, he pines for an income tax.
Weak.
with our system of property taxes, regardless of what you do with your land, you pay. it doesn't matter if you occupy it, it doesn't matter if its been in the family for centuries, it doesn't matter if you're elderly and have a fixed income. you pay, pay, pay.
it just seems like an income tax is fairer. if you earn, you pay. if you don't, you don't. old people don't. it doesn't matter if some yuppies move in next door to your family property. it doesnt' matter if some loser from the state declares you have a view. you either have the income or you don't. if you do, you pay. if you don't, you don't.
sales tax might even be fairer. if you consume, you pay. if you sit in your house and mind your own business you don't. of course, that could legitimately inhibit economic growth.
i'm not debating the value of a low tax burden. let's do away with the property tax and install a capped (perhaps only exceedable by constitutional amendment?) income tax. that's fair.
What the income tax addicts are really saying is that with an income tax (or other broad based tax), special interests would have one stop shopping in Concord rather than fighting for hand outs town by town. Why do you think so many law firms in Concord, like Young, Rats, with Pigtails, are big time into lobbying?
You can always be a FAIR as possible and mail in some extra taxes to the state.
Sit down, get your check book and write out a check for 17.5% more than you have in your account.
That is what your new Democrat legislature did when they were elected.
And this is who you want to have more money to spend?
You're ignoring my question and point. The Democrats can force you to pay 17.5 percent more than what you have in your account via a property tax that punishes elderly and those with large pieces of property, or property deemed to have a "view."
And there are all those people who don't own property.
Really, the only people who benefit from not changing the system are people who don't have much property. So what's your deal Ed?
I have 50 acres and pay double on the view tax because Avitar's software mistook a 10' x 20' piece of land as a seperate lot.
What is your beef?
Who IS worthy of the honor of taxation? We should not tax THESE people, we should tax THOSE people. Regardless, you wish to gouge someone with higher taxes.
When you let down your guard on property tax you will be flooded with state income tax, city income tax, next sales taxes, plus your property taxes. Instead of knowing where the taxes are out in the open they will be hidden under every rock. Further, let's add to the bureaucrasy and create more jobs for accountants to track who earns what and then penalize people for this and fine them for sheltering that. Ah, life will be lovely then.
Beware opening the Pandora's box of new methods of taxation. But if you must, start with voluntary coalitions who would like their income taxed... see how that works out for you.
Why don't you start with http://www.mycommitment.org/
Then you should get my point. What you pay is ridiculous. There's nothing fair about it. Even if they did away the view tax.
And what are you going to do when you retire or you're too old to work. I don't know how long off that is for you, but I can guarantee you the tax rate will be higher by then. How do you plan on keeping that property? The senior citizen tax exemption isn't going to do it.
So how about this... you don't pay the property tax, but you do pay an income tax that, at this point in your life, is an equivalent tax burden. Let's say that's $5,000. Next year, if you make the same amount, you still pay $5,000. 10 years from now when you go to retire, and your income drops in half, you pay $2,500. But if you have a property tax, you'll be paying $8,500... if you're lucky.
Here's a simpler way to think of it. An income tax charges you what you can afford - a flat, set, constitutionally capped income tax rate will be a known factor that you can budget into your annual finances. A property tax takes a different chunk of your income every year, usually more, and is completely at the whim of your local school board and dependent on whether the Highway Patrol and State Police get their act together and stop fighting.
See where I'm going? taxes are a punishment on everyone, they're not fair for anyone. but property taxes are least fair to those most in need of a break - the elderly, those on a fixed income, those who use the land to make a living (timber, farming, etc.) I know you hate the invaders from Massachusetts - well, a property tax gives me a mighty incentive to throw in the towel and sell my orchard to some yuppies who want to build McMansions.
Who is worthy of the honor of taxation? those among us who can afford it. taxes suck, but someone with an income can pay it easier than an elderly person trying to hold onto the family orchard. go ask erick leadbetter how fair the property tax is.
And I'm totally aware of the Pandora's box of new taxing methods. It wouldn't be easy to establish a constitutionally capped income tax - you'd really need a large group of concerned citizens led by some focused activists who know how to lobby to get it done right without everything blowing up in our face. huh. who could do that?
our current system is patchwork at best, it's screwing people who are least able to defend themselves and it's really not saving me or you any money AND there are people who don't own property, or don't own much property who get a free ride. instead of wasting your breath and resources defending this system to the dying day, no matter how off-track things are getting, why don't you try and come up with a new system that works to your/our advantage before this really gets out of hand and some judge or Ed's Masshole neighbors invent a new system for us. guarantee you won't like that one.