Re: April 8 News story, “Business taxes down, homes up.”
Without rehashing all the details, the plan is to lower business taxes in order to attract more business, but to raise residential taxes to support this plan.
What is unstated is if this plan works will the district then lower residential taxes (probably not)?
Alternatively, if the belief here is lower business taxes and they will come (as in more business), then why not put your money where your mouth is, but don’t raise residential taxes to support it, and if they come, then you’re golden and the new business will fill the void and more.
If you really want to test the theory, then lower business taxes as low as the economy can bear. Give it a reasonable time frame (say two years), and if it doesn’t work then that’s water under the bridge and raise business taxes back to sustainable levels.
Don’t test your theory on the backs of your residential population, which is already suffering in a housing affordability crunch marketplace.
Victor Larsen