Don Ewing: Reduce property taxes? Tell local officials to cut spending

To The Daily Sun,

Are property taxes too high? The overwhelming majority of taxpayers apparently don’t think so. If taxes were too high, wouldn’t voters demand tax cuts and/or replace big spending officials?

Property taxes are almost entirely driven by local spending which local politicians propose and voters approve.

I’m familiar with Meredith and the Inter-Lakes School District but similar things probably happen in other towns and districts.

Only about 200 of over 5,500 voters showed up to vote on the Meredith Town budget. Only around 300 people out of over 7,600 voted on the Inter-Lakes budget. Our spending and property taxes were approved by about 3% of the registered voters, many of whom, e.g., employees and contractors, personally benefit from high spending and taxes.

A recent tax cap proposal and a SB2 proposal years ago were defeated; taxpayers are apparently satisfied with their property taxes.

A growing amount of Meredith land, currently about 20%, is in “conservation” and isn’t taxed. Increasing “conservation,” government, and other non- or reduced taxed land means that a higher tax burden falls on increasingly fewer property owners.

Other towns may have something similar that stealthily increases people’s property taxes.

Some suggest new taxes or state funds should pay our local expenses. These ideas are promoted by people who want bigger government. Local spending and total taxation would increase, our control over local spending decrease, and the likelihood of waste and fraud greatly increase.

To reduce property taxes, local spending must be reduced.

If readers want to reduce property taxes, tell local officials to cut spending, vote against the budgets that increase taxes, and replace elected officials that spend too much.

The time people spend voting may save them far more than their hourly wages.

Don Ewing

Meredith