EDITOR:

Who pays the men who plow the snow on our streets? Who buys the plow and the fuel to power it? Who pays for heat and lights at City Hall? Who pays city and county clerks and managers? Police, firefighters, public safety officers? There is even a modest stipend for council members and commissioners. Who pays for it? I do. And so do you. The late Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “Taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society.” Even a quick glance at your property tax bill shows that the single largest share of the tax is for “operations.” Over the years, the people have also chosen, by their votes, to fund various other projects, programs and facilities.

It is not true that renters don’t pay taxes. When a landlord sets the rental price, he includes the cost of ownership. Thus, the renter pays his fair share. I hear the plaintive cry, “No one should lose his home for failure to pay taxes.” Or failure to make his mortgage payments? Oh, that’s different, is it? Come to think of it, in my 80+ years, I’ve never seen a poor family dispossessed because of unpaid taxes. Most poor families have already been priced out of the housing market.

The proponents of AxMiTax are noticeably vague about possible sources of revenue replacement. Cut spending? Only if you’re eager to cut services. They dance around the issue, avoiding the phrase “sales tax increase.” How about a 40-50% sales tax on school clothes, cars, lawn mowers, and fishing poles? Oh, yes, and bring back the sales tax on food. That way the big landowners and developers won’t be plagued by those pesky property taxes. Personally, I rather like the concept of many people pooling funds to buy a service that few could afford alone. And I smile every time that snowplow comes up my street.

Lola Johnson

Kingsford