Our revolutionary roots are still evident
History students will remember the confrontation of the Royal authorities and the Regulators in the Orange-Alamance region during colonial times. That independent blood still runs hot in the region. Then, as now, the subject was taxes and the 1,400 who gathered in Hillsborough Monday night sounded just as passionate as did those Regulators of old who protested the taxes by the Royal Governor.
At issue are property values established when real estate prices were escalating rapidly and home sales were healthy. Now that values are lower and sales fewer those in attendance believe their property taxes too high. The movement, called "The Orange Tax Revolt" is real and likely to grow.
Elected public officials at all levels have a perfect storm on their hands. During the boom times of recent years the economy was expanding, new people were moving to our state, and tax revenues were growing at healthy rates. As a result the size and cost of government has escalated rapidly. All that has now changed.
The growth has slowed, real estate prices are dropping, home sales have slowed, people are losing jobs, and times are much leaner. But we still have this larger, more expensive government that must be supported.
Our state and local leaders face the wrath of groups who don't want services cut and public employees who don't want jobs cut, correctly pointing to greater public needs than ever. On the other hand are taxpayers, also feeling the squeeze of rising prices and tighter budgets who believe their contributions in the form of taxes are already too high. They will revolt, they say, if taxes are raised.
Many are saying we cannot cut our way out of this conundrum, meaning we can't cut budgets enough to balance the state and local budgets. Others say raising taxes in this economic climate is obscene and political suicide.
It is a real shame many of our state politicians have chosen to hold these discussions and make these decisions behind closed doors (most especially our State Senate) because the debate and resolution could be more entertaining and informative than much of what is on TV these days.
At issue are property values established when real estate prices were escalating rapidly and home sales were healthy. Now that values are lower and sales fewer those in attendance believe their property taxes too high. The movement, called "The Orange Tax Revolt" is real and likely to grow.
Elected public officials at all levels have a perfect storm on their hands. During the boom times of recent years the economy was expanding, new people were moving to our state, and tax revenues were growing at healthy rates. As a result the size and cost of government has escalated rapidly. All that has now changed.
The growth has slowed, real estate prices are dropping, home sales have slowed, people are losing jobs, and times are much leaner. But we still have this larger, more expensive government that must be supported.
Our state and local leaders face the wrath of groups who don't want services cut and public employees who don't want jobs cut, correctly pointing to greater public needs than ever. On the other hand are taxpayers, also feeling the squeeze of rising prices and tighter budgets who believe their contributions in the form of taxes are already too high. They will revolt, they say, if taxes are raised.
Many are saying we cannot cut our way out of this conundrum, meaning we can't cut budgets enough to balance the state and local budgets. Others say raising taxes in this economic climate is obscene and political suicide.
It is a real shame many of our state politicians have chosen to hold these discussions and make these decisions behind closed doors (most especially our State Senate) because the debate and resolution could be more entertaining and informative than much of what is on TV these days.
The growth has slowed, real estate prices are dropping, home sales have slowed, people are losing jobs, and times are much leaner. But we still have this larger, more expensive government that must be supported.
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