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Alan Khazei gets credit for bringing this idea to the Senate race, though I didn't see it on his website.
City Year co-founder Alan Khazei kicked off the primary campaign's final televised debate by saying he would support a special levy to fund the 30,000-troop buildup outlined by President Barack Obama.
Attorney General Martha Coakley also said she would consider it, but Rep. Michael Capuano and Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca said they would not.
(snip)
"I would vote for a tax for a moral war, if I thought it was right," said Capuano. "I will not vote, not only for taxes, I will not vote for funding for this surge, either, as I have not voted for the funding in Iraq, either."
I like this idea. Here's why.
1. Capuano's point about a moral war is taken, but we haven't had a war everyone agreed was moral in my lifetime. We still have wars, though, and we still have to pay for them.
2. I like to say "We should have a draft" to remind people of the real costs of war, and theoretically make us less casual in the use of our military. However, I find this idea goes over like a lead balloon with people who are draft-eligible, and I can sputter all I want about "18 to 50" but really, the old school 18 to 26 version is much more likely if we get one at all. A war tax accomplishes much of the goal: Obama's numbers seem pretty abstract in the context of the federal budget, but $30 billion (the cost of the new boost in troops numbers) divided by 300 million people is $100 per person.
3. But wait, we can't stop there: By the president's own estimate, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost well over a trillion dollars. So we're up to about $3,330 per person. And since the cost must be borne by those paying the taxes, roughly 50% of the population, you're looking at $6,670 per person: $20,000 for my family. That is real money for a middle class family.
4. There is one easily identifiable risk: There would be a push to itemize other items on people's tax bills, notably Social Security, interest on the deficit, military spending in general, the cost of operating Congress, etc. That's risky because of the endless Pandora's box of debates about it, but I'm not entirely convinced that that is a bad thing. It happens anyway, just not in so literal a fashion.
6. If I ran the world, people who served in the military would be exempt from paying this.
But the biggest advantage?
7. Republican heads would explode. It would a be a lot harder to puff your chest about patriotism and talk about cutting taxes at the same time.
Today an editorial in the UL titled "Spending cap foes - Their arguments have been lame" included this:
Manchester's cap would not eliminate spending, but it would certainly prioritize it and keep it within check, something that few elected officials have been willing to do.
Conversations with tax-cap supporters, and statements like this, lead me to believe that supporters believe that, in a perfect world, they would "eliminate spending". Yup. Fiscal conservatism taken to the most libertarian extreme. I suppose we'd go back to the good old days, with a militia to keep the peace, subscriptions to the fire service, and private schools for the wealthy.
The mills were made of marble,
The streets were paved with gold,
We sold off the bricks,
And lowered the taxes,
Now everyone votes as they're told.
- Gatsas for Governor 2012
They haven't spent a penny on the roads in Franklin for four years, and we do have a lot of missing bricks in Manchester sidewalks.
If ever in Manchester there was a gift-wrapped, defining issue, for candidates to say "this is why I am a Democrat", it is the tax cap. I am astonished that Democratic candidates are not using their bully pulpit to both educate the public and nail this to their opponents. It should be an embarrassment to support this garbage.
There are a number of taxes which have been considered but never made it into either the Senate or House versions of HB1/HB2 and hence will probably be missing from the final version of the budget. (I say "probably" because anything is possible.) These will all just have to wait for another biennium.
Last night, the Democratic majority on the Manchester Board of Aldermen passed their own budget, tripling the tax cut proposed by Frank Guinta while increasing funding for serious solutions to the issues facing the city. It was a huge win for the local Democrats and represents the kind of creativity and commitment to solutions we need from our leaders.
This is the first tax cut in seven years in Manchester.
May 1, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe Scully
Telephone: 669-1050
DEMOCRATS LEAD EFFORT TO PASS RESPONSIBLE BUDGET
Budget Increases Tax Cut, Makes Streets Safer and Cleaner, Supports Essential Services
MANCHESTER - In a strong measure for the taxpayers of Manchester, the Board of Alderman, led by its Democratic majority, passed their own budget, Tuesday. The new Democratic budget triples the tax cut proposed by Mayor Frank Guinta, provides additional funding for making our city safer and cleaner, as well as makes more funds available for education.
The budget draws approximately $3.5 million from the city's capital investment fund. This money, which hasn't been touched since the fund's creation, represents only a portion of the fund's value. By accessing these resources, the city will be able to increase monies for services and infrastructure and offer a more generous tax cut for Manchester taxpayers.
"It's about putting something back in the taxpayer's pocket," said Alderman Mike Lopez. "We've been able to prevent unfortunate cuts in city staff and resources, while tripling the mayor's tax cut. The mayor seems to believe that the budget battle is always an either or proposition: services or reduction taxes. This budget proves that it does not have to be that way."
The Tax Cut:
Frank Guinta proposed a cut of .53% in the property tax rate, amounting to a $.09 reduction per $1,000 in property valuation. The Board of Aldermen's budget includes a 1.6% cut or $.27 per $1,000 in valuation. For a home valued at $200,000, the budget championed by the Democrats on the Board of Aldermen provides a $54 tax cut, three times the $18 proposed by Guinta.
Combating Crime:
Alderman Dan O'Neil commented, "We're experiencing a tragic rise in violent crime in this city. This budget says we're done nickel and dime-ing the approach to our city's crime problem. Instead of throwing pennies at the issue, we're committing to serious solutions that will hopefully return the results our community so desperately needs."
The Democratic budget makes greater strides in addressing the issue of crime in Manchester. Funding has been added to the police department to hire and equip five new police officers above and beyond the five already requested by Frank Guinta, bringing the count of new members of the force to 10. A new program, "Guns and Drugs" will bring agencies together to target crime, track and eliminate gang activities and seize weapons and drugs.
Funding Important Services:
"This is a budget that provides serious funding for our city's essential services," said Alderman Betsi DeVries. "The Aldermen have sent a message that we are to determined to make our city a safer, cleaner place to live. This is what a responsible budget looks like."
The budget will provide more funding for the Highway Department, preventing the elimination of jobs and maintaining important services such as snow removal and street cleaning. A new compliance officer will enforce new ordinances. Equipment, such as a street sweeper and street line-painter will be procured under the new budget.
The Parks Department will also benefit from the budget. The new funds will prevent 13 additional layoffs, the closure of at least one of Manchester's swimming areas and disruption of youth recreation and sports activities.
Manchester City Library will have the money necessary to hire a security officer for the West Side branch, which has been considering closing its doors due to security concerns.
Commitment to Education:
Part of the Democratic budget allows for the school department to access up to 80% of its health fund. $1.5 million in unused money for healthcare expenses can now be included as part of the school department's overall budget. The budget allocates the $147.3 million for school spending Frank Guinta proposed, but these new resources may be spent as the School Board sees fit.
