He would like to see a mail-out to residents with “before” and “after” figures so homeowners could see for themselves how their tax bills would change.
It’s dishonest to ask residents to vote in favour or against tax reform until they know what, exactly, they’re voting on. Not just the philosophical issues, which can be bent this way and that by supporters or opponents, but the hard figures of how any proposed change will affect them personally.
I’m actually all for a referendum—but only after residents are fully informed. Go ahead and do a “dry run” of the proposed changes: next year send out tax bills under the present system, and note what the changes would mean under the proposed system.
There’s little doubt that those who see their bills go up will put an end to this silliness.
This article appears in Jun 19-25, 2008.
