A meals tax should not be imposed in county
Advertisement
Text size: small | medium | large
Ernest Elliott
Published: October 29, 2008
If the residents of Culpeper Clounty voted down a meals tax three years in a row, why do the county fathers think they will approve it this year?
People are tax weary. We have a gas tax, phone tax, sales tax, personal property tax, state and federal income tax and many more.
Why ask voters? Because goverment officals are afraid to impose any new taxes because of the backlash it would cause. They can’t tax us much more, so they ask if you would like to pay an additional new tax.
By the way, if we refuse they will use the old scare tactic. To meet our budget we will have to cut county services such as assistance for the elderly, law enforcement and ambulance services or whatever else citizens need most, to coerce them to the desired result.
You can bet the pet programs and projects of the supervisors will be un-touched.
Remember, once a tax is in place, it never goes away. It just increases.
Ernest Elliott
Wolftown
Page 1 of 1
Post a Comment
The commenting period has ended or commenting has been deactivated for this article.
Can't find what you're looking for? Try our quick search:
Reader Reactions
Posted by ( makofshrmn ) on November 01, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Wonderbread and Mrs. Jenkins, I’m completely tired of all the government types saying we’ll have to cut “services” if we don’t get the money. That threat is old and tired and I can see through the strategy. First, you never hear the term “services” explained, just threatened. Mrs Jenkins, what are services? Anyway, I always here it and I know they will make good on their threat. However, instead of cutting services we can do without, they cut things that we can’t. This way they’ll get their money. Which means we’ll get to listen how the county can’t buy new cars or our police won’t be trained or have to use outdated equipment. Yet, all of the studies seem to get funded. So, I’m going to have to raise the BS flag on that one. At some point, they are going to have to cut out there pet projects and funding things for their buddies. Sorry, but not interested in some g-man telling me they’ll have to cut services when these types of sheenanigans are going on. I’m also a bit concerned that we have grown so accustomed to being taxed, they for the most part we accept it as necessary. When is it going to stop.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( makofshrmn ) on November 01, 2008 at 11:53 am
Sorry I was so long in responding, I’ve been out paying my taxes through various methods. Wonderbread, you might just want to read what I wrote and not you own feelings read into what I wrote. You said I knocked a family institution. Well wonderbread, I didn’t say anything to disparage them in any manner. I simply said I wasn’t going to eat there anymore. So please go bother someone else with your emnotional responses or come back when you’re prepared to be reasonable.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( wonderbread ) on October 30, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Mako-wacko ... or whatever your screen nom de plume is ... Give me a break! You knock a family-run, customer friendly, all-American eating establishment like Baby Jim’s just because of what you perceive as an oppressive meals tax!!?!?!?!?!?!? I hope you never leave your house. You don’t deserve to share the same sunlight with other reasonable people. And careful ... “THEY” might put a tax on sunshine too!!! (Run away, run away) I agree that there can be too many taxes, but unless we want to pay out every orifice we have for our cars (already steep) and houses (steeper) and I’m sure businesses - a simple meals tax -shared by those who choose to eat out - goes a long way to help.
Perhaps Culpeper Co. could manage their money better - but they are not evil. Just misguided at times, and cash-strapped for the foreseeable future. And please don’t give it another thought ... I’ll eat your share of Baby Jim’s. And I’m honored to do so.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( Leanne Jenkins ) on October 30, 2008 at 1:15 pm
The voters will decide. I think the reason it is there again is that somebody hopes the commuity will understand the situation better this time. If we vote it down, local revenues will continue to rely almost exclusively on property/real estate taxes. There are only so many ways that the county can raise revenues and plenty of needs to be funded. The meals tax would allow people to decide how much they want to eat out and pay it and allow for people outside the county to pay it when they come through. We need revenues to provide services to residents. It’s just a matter of whether we want to pay it all ourselves or get some help from others. Voters are free to vote it down again. If they do, I bet it won’t come around again, but I don’t know who’s going to want to hear the whining about property and real estate taxes!
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( makofshrmn ) on October 30, 2008 at 10:43 am
All of that “use tax” mumbo jumbo is a way of rationalizing and justifying something known to be wrong. If you break down that use tax mantra, all you get is “Don’t have this, don’t have that, don’t do this, don’t do that, don’t go here, and don’t go there.” Get real!!! The only way to do that is to be a vagrant and live in a cave. We should try to encourage people to be successful, not punish them for it. So what, I can afford to go out and eat. Should I be taxed more than someone who can’t? In addition, if we stop going out to eat, who is going to pay the establishment’s staff or why even have the establishment? They’ll have to go find other jobs. If you take the “use tax” mantra to the extreme, how about we go ahead and do away with the whole entertainment industry. I’m sure that all of those overpaid actors and actresses will love us all just staying home. I guess they’ll have to go work at McDonalds. Oh wait, we’re not eating there, so they can’t do that. Maybe they can become road construction workers.
BTW, thanks for letting me know that Ruby Tuesdays is in the town limits. I’m not about to support the town’s equally ridiculous meal tax so I’ll quit eating there and go to Chili’s. If anyone from Baby Jim’s is reading this, I love the food, but same thing goes for you.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( cul_peper ) on October 30, 2008 at 7:39 am
I would bet that Mr. Elliott ( a Madison County resident) has never eaten a meal in Charlottesville, or even the town of Culpeper. If he did he paid the meals tax, and we thank you for that. It is an optional “user tax” paid by everyone who dines out. That includes locals and visitors. Don’t eat out and you don’t pay. How about the town resident who goes to Chili’s to eat—no meals tax. Yet that same resident goes to Ruby Tuesday and he pays one. It;s his choice. The tax will provide extra revenue so that real estate taxes don’t rise to make ends meet.
If you don’t want to pay a phone tax, don’t have a phone, if you don’t want to pay a cable TV franchise tax, don’t have cable. If you don’t want to pay a meals tax, don’t go out to eat. The town is able to keep its real estate tax rate lower because it gains about $2 million in meals tax. That’s a lot of money and much of it is paid by people from out of the town and county paying it.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( makofshrmn ) on October 30, 2008 at 7:22 am
Well, I live in Culpeper County, and I think the tax is ridiculous. It is the government once again fleecing the population because their own agendas are hurting the budget. How about we start reducing some of these other “services” that supposedly exist? I’m for one am tired of the forced charity that makes it so I can’t be charitable with my own family.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( rjma ) on October 30, 2008 at 6:30 am
What do you mean “if we refuse” (to vote for the tax increase). You don’t vote in Culp. You live in Wolftown (mad.co).
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( El Debibble ) on October 30, 2008 at 6:29 am
I absolutely do believe the meal tax is a good idea. If they don’t get the revenue from that they will eventualy take it directly from my pocket. Let the people who are only visiting help us out.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( wonderbread ) on October 30, 2008 at 5:37 am
When will you - and other voters - wake up? How can the strapped county keep sticking it to the school system and other areas they need to fund if they do not get additional revenue? The town has a meals tax - and it’s in pretty good financial shape. But the town does not fund the schools for the county. The Board of Supes does decide on school funding. A meals tax would go a long way to helping bring our school funding in line with neighboring counties. Meals tax allows for NOT JUST the residents to help our county - think about all the folks who now have a reason to come into Culpeper to eat - not all the restaurants are in the town limits. This is not just a tax - for - tax - sakes. It’s additional revenue for our county. But, judging from the polls and past history, it will not pass and the county will still be strapped. So really, your letter and my response are a waste of time. Aren’t you glad we did not have to pay a letter to the editor tax?
Report Inappropriate Comment