Orange Commissioner Admits Tax Burden Unsustainable for Many
Posted June 24th, 2008 at 12:53 PM by Donna MartinezWith the Orange County property tax rate ready to jump to 99.8 cents per $100 comes a comment from Orange County Commissioner Mike Nelson, a proud liberal whose blog is called “Leading from the Left.”
According to this News & Observer blog, Nelson sent out a newsletter this week with a note that validates what many of us have been writing and saying for a long time about the oppressive, anti-family tax policy of the county. Among his comments, says the N&O (emphasis is mine):
Once adding in city taxes and school district taxes, a homeowner in Carrboro or Chapel Hill would be paying nearly $2 per hundred in local property taxes. And in year in which OWASA’s is increasing rates by 17% such a significant tax increase is untenable.
For lower income and even middle-income families, it’s becoming more and more difficult to remain in Orange County. Consequently, the Commissioners sought ways to alleviate the tax burden while maintaining access to human services, good schools, and parks.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Here’s to the impending exodus from Orange County of all those who deliver the newspapers, serve the coffee, pick up the trash, serve the meals and clean up the tables, and drive the buses, because they can no longer afford to live there after property owners jack up the rents in order to cover these new, onerous taxes. And then they’ll have to raise the minimum wage in Orange County to $10 or more just to get the “lower class” to live there.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:37 am
[...] Donna Martinez caught an Orange (N.C.) Coutny Commissioner admitting they’re making taxes unaffordable for the average resident. Of course, his “solution” isn’t to actually cut the tax take. [...]
June 26th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
[...] It’s fair to believe the issue really was time, since the meeting reportedly went on until 11 p.m. However, it’s also fair to wonder if the commissioners simply didn’t relish opening another can of worms after taking so much heat over the latest property tax hike (the rate will rise to 99.8 cents). Even Commissioner Mike Nelson, a proud liberal, is acknowledging the county’s tax and fee burden cannot be sustained by many families. I’d bet they’re also still miffed over May’s defeat of the land transfer tax option in a county dominated by liberals. [...]
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:08 am
[...] It’s no surprise to those who live in Orange County, but a report from the N.C. Association of County Commissioners confirms it: Orange County’s recent hike in the property tax rate — to 99.8 cents per $100 — makes it the second highest in the state. At least one member of the county commission — a tried and true liberal — now admits the damage. Mike Nelson acknowledges that many low- and middle-income families can’t afford to live in the county. Don’t hold your breath waiting for commissioners to do something tangible to address that — such as lowering the tax rate next year. Their answer always involves a new or expanded government program. You’ll find the NCACC’s tax chart here. [...]