Another Take On the Tax Revolt
Lanny Davis, campaign manager for former Montgomery County executive Sid Kramer, sings the same old song about Montgomery's tax revolt {Close to Home, June 9}, but he has some of the words wrong.</br></br>Davis contends that Montgomery's tax revolt is centered in what he calls the affluent down-county area. It isn't. Strong support for holding property tax increases to the rate of inflation was reaffirmed recently by the Montgomery County Civic Federation, which represents more than 70 civic groups countywide. Equally strong support was voted by the Allied Civic Group, which represents 40 citizens' groups in eastern and northern Montgomery.</br></br>No one in Montgomery objects to paying a fair share of taxes, assuming the money isn't wasted. But county property taxes aren't related to ability to pay. A family making $200,000 a year may live next door to someone on a small, fixed income, yet they pay the same property taxes.</br></br>Rather than constantly increasing property taxes, we should win legislative approval for raising the piggyback income tax, starting at the $75,000 to $100,000 level. Only the 5 percent of our taxpayers report incomes of $100,000 or more. If more revenue is needed, it should come from them.</br></br>We also want, and shortly will have, a tax that requires developers to pay a small share of the huge road and school costs their developments create. Davis seems to prefer the system under which homeowners have footed 80 percent of the county's bills.