Voters in Roswell are heading to the polls now (Election Day is officially March 6) to vote on a gross receipts tax increase. The purpose of the tax will be for “economic development” as outlined in Roswell Ordinance 11- 05. Aside from that, details are somewhat unclear and analysis of exactly how raising taxes will spur economic development are lacking. It would seem that this lack of information would make the average voter skeptical about such a tax increase.
But, if that is not enough, we at the Rio Grande Foundation can add this: raising taxes on the population and business community at large in order to provide incentives and hire bureaucrats to lure businesses to town is a bad idea. It will not result in a more prosperous Roswell, but will benefit a few, favored businesses at the expense of everyone else.
Be very careful Roswell. Demand explicit answers from the powers that be as to exactly what they plan to do with your money once they get it and how much they want. Roswell has a history of being conservative with money and that needs to continue. Don’t be fast-talked into giving up your money to politicians unless and until you have clear written answers from them. And hold their feet to the fire to make them perform.
To suggest that Politian’s would be anything but honest as the pure driven snow is simply misguided. To be skeptical about the current and future planned uses of the TAX revenue is just unreasonable. To believe that more government revenue simply leads to greater government expenditures, for more things like greater negotiated city government employment benefits is nothing more than conspiracy theory. And, to believe that this kind of tax will be permanent, and increasing over time, is nothing more than speculative.
You bunch of third estate dullards…what are you conservative hicks think’en! Of course the money will be put to good work. We can’t explain exactly how, because this will be a long-term perpetual growth scam…I mean, “plan”, not just some 5 or 10 year plan…I mean, scam. If you were as smart as we are, then you’d understand that a higher cost to you means more money for us, which means more money for us to spend for your benefit, as we see fit. We’re just trying to be our brother’s keeper, here, guy!
What you have to understand is that this TAX is a “love offering”. And, yes, one of the city’s council members is actually referring to it as just that…”A Love Offering”. Why heck, the Mayor himself is touting the “love” of various members of the community who are in support of the tax. And, how can anyone of good faith argue with “LOVE”!!!! That would make you “anti-love”…and that can’t be good!
All idiocy aside, and in truth, this is exactly how we the people allow our freedoms to be eroded, and our lives to be subjugated, day-in and day-out. One piece at a time, and all in the name of loooovvvve!
Does anyone really believe that businesses desire to enter communities whose taxes are actually higher? Do businesses somehow avoid paying gross receipts taxes themselves? I guess that depends, but just ask a construction contractor about their thoughts on the subject. But hey, no problem, the loooovvvve will bring them in, in droves.
Winston Churchill said it best when he said this: “We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” The same holds true at the local community level.
“Love offering”??? Ha ha, that’s rich. I love your pithy reply Louis. It shows me you get it. You know what they are about to do to you. Now, as to the “Love offering” again, isn’t that what a “John” pays to a prostitute? I thought the prostitute got paid, not the one doing the, well, you know. Great reply.
Many thanks to Paul and the Rio Grande Foundation for submitting this point of view to the town’s local news paper, as recently as last week.
Unfortunately, ploys like calling a vaguely defined local TAX HIKE, during the middle of a historic national recession, “a love offering”, or attempting to cast anyone who is opposed to this TAX as some kind of cold hearted heel, only demonstrate the typical narcissist’s mentality and mantra of: “everybody’s stupid but me”. Well guess what, we see right through you, and nobody’s lining up to drink any of your Jonestown favored Kool-Aid!
Similarly, there have been several Southern NM cities cited for vast economic growth, which was actually due to long-term Federally funded, and massive, waste isolation storage construction projects (Hobbs & Carlsbad), expanded military air-base operations (Clovis), and the effects of higher milk (Clovis) and gasoline prices within available area of producing and refining infrastructures (Artesia), etc., rather than because of any objective measurable result of a similar GRT tax hike within these same Southern NM communities. Again, completely different sets of circumstances, funded and/or due to conditions set by the Federal Government rather than by private business expansion as the result of supposed incentives from the taxes garnered by any local government tax increase.
We simply hate to see this mentality, and these kinds of ploys, demonstrated in Roswell, and, we’ve seen a lot of it over this past year. Although, and to Don’s point, those who actively partake in the “oldest profession” would actually stand head-and-shoulders above the bulk of the opportunistic, wanna be’s who are twisting the information and hoping to gain their piece of this GRT pie at the expense of those who can least afford additional rising costs within their community.
However, and to be fair, there has also been influence lent from those who truly believe that expanding government and taxes is the panacea for everything that ails any community, and they have been completely open about that belief. While we certainly can’t agree with them on this point, because it simply doesn’t work, and ends up expanding and becoming a greater drag on society than any benefit that is created for a small handful of folks, we do have to respect their honesty, as well as the candor and the intelligence of their formal explanations of support, which are as sincere as the consistent actions that they have demonstrated over many years of leadership and service on behalf of the community. While our views on the proper balance and timing of the government’s burden versus that of the individual’s financial freedom may differ greatly, at minimum, we do share a true love of Roswell and of our friends and neighbors who live here.