foolmenot.com“Nickels and dimes”, “nickels and dimes”; give me all your “nickels and dimes”- What a great song that would be… If you have Liberal leanings the tune will probably be upbeat. Write the words to finish it off and when you’re done, you can dance your way up to Bay City and see if you can find anyone there to be your dance partner…
In Bay City, the Commission is lowering taxes to get people to move back into town… See Bay City Times editorial
Hellooooo Saginaw… The folks at the “Saginaw News” have put on their dancing shoes and are turning their nose up at those who actually have to pay the taxes in their city, and they are turning their nose up at, at, at; what’s that stuff in pudding? Oh, yeah- Proof!
One might say that Saginaw was forward looking when it capped property taxes some years ago. One might also say that taxes are taxes; “Nickels and dimes” add up… Ask the folks in Saginaw who have lived their lives there to add up all the previous “nickels and dimes”… If taxing authorities can’t convince the voting public a tax hike is the best solution, the tax hike is not necessary… An editorial that justifies a tax increase by saying; “tax boost approved by the City Council last week was puny” is intellectually flawed, suspect to intent, and shows disrespect to opposing points of view… Nuff said!
In Bay City, folks were saying it was too expensive to live in town; they fixed the problem. In Saginaw, folks will soon be saying it’s too expensive to live, and work in town. Is this a; “How goes Michigan, so goes Saginaw” thing? Bay City is learning the hard way… How do you want to learn, Saginaw???
Full article follows…
The Saginaw News
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Nickels and dimes
There's no reason to raise pitchforks and storm City Hall. The income tax boost approved by the City Council last week was puny -- about $15 a year for a family of four living in the city. Nonresidents will pay an increase of half that amount.
There was an irony, however, that the new City Council members were stuck approving a tax increase so soon after taking their oaths.
Former City Manager Cecil A. Collins Jr. pitched the scaleback in the city's personal exemption to $750 from $1,000 last summer. Collins said he intended to use the up to $400,000 in additional revenue for policing.
The old council demurred, saying it wanted to review the tax boost. Meanwhile, Collins was fired and five new council members were elected. Somewhere along the line, the income tax exemption change got lost.
Eventually, interim City Manager Darnell Earley must have realized the city was looking at another six-figure hole in the budget. So the new council was stuck approving a potentially unpopular measure a mere month after taking office. To this new council group's credit, they didn't flinch -- unanimously approving the tax increase.
It's worth noting that until 1988, each exemption on taxable income was $600. The deduction was increased to $1,000 in 1989. Part of that tax cut was taken back last week.
That the city needed to hoist the exemption is a sign of how desperate things have turned. Forced to cling to a cap on property tax collections since 1979, the city needs every nickel and dime it can muster.