McNiel on taxes
Well, it looks like they are doing it again. Every time we turn around, our elected representatives are always wanting to raise our taxes again. We have federal taxes. We have state taxes. We have county taxes. We have city taxes.
I am beginning to understand what my dad meant when he said that it cost him money every time we used the toilet.
I know that I have already said this once before but for every dollar we pay in taxes that will generate another dollar in taxes every two years.
When you earn $100 you pay 15 cents to taxes per dollar. That leaves 85 cents for you to spend. Then when you buy something they charge you 10 cents for every dollar you spend. That leaves you with 75 cents.
Then you pay your mechanic to fix your car and he has to pay taxes on the money that you pay him. And the cycle continues until the dollar is all used up on taxes.
The dollar only has to change hands about seven or eight times before it generates another dollar in taxes.
So that leaves the question. Why in the heck do we need to raise taxes again and again?
The mayor and the City Council are planning on putting a new tax increase initiative on the upcoming ballot. The taxes have increased nearly 10-fold in the last 10 years. (Editor’s note, Pea Ridge has not had a city sales tax increase since 1984.)
Have any of you taken notice of all of the home building that is going on in our town lately? Each one of these houses are being built and sold for over $200.000.
The real estate brokers have definitely taken notice. We went from no agents to five real estate companies in our town in one short year. Each one of these new homes will generate new taxes as well as the people who are buying them.
I can tell you why they want to raise taxes. They want to waste more money on police cars and splash pads that are a waste of money. The police will not answer their phones and the splash pads aren’t open because of CDC restrictions.
The next thing you will know is that they will be building more bike trails that we don’t need. We did without them for all these other years. Why do we need them now?
I do not know about the rest of you all, but I will be voting against all new tax increases.
Boyd B. McNiel
Pea Ridge