Oh, taxes, you so crazy!

The sales tax increase is threatening to overshadow the decision to raze the Breuer Tower as the dumbest thing the County Administration could possibly do now. Although the two actions are related (in that the sales tax would raise money for the new administration building) they appear to be two seperate instances of insanity.

I am not arguing against the sales tax. Nor the application of a sales tax for a convention center. Not yet anyway. I am arguing that they want to pass the tax increase without the vote of the general public. The very people that will, well, pay the tax.

The headlines have been abuzz of late. WCPN had a very interesting discussion (mp3) this morning. Then I got sent an email pointing me to a petition to, um...

Without asking voter approval, the Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners appears poised to approve a 0.25% increase to the existing 7.5% sales tax in Cuyahoga County, whose citizens already endure the highest sales taxes in Ohio, while at the same time, has some of the poorest and over-burdened residents in the nation. In the proposal, the purpose of this increase is to build a new Convention Center and to attract Medical Mart to the community in an unproven effort to generate revenue for Cuyahoga County. The Convention Center and its funding have been controversial from the beginning with the public, and this is just a way for the Commissioners to circumvent voter approval. Additionally, other communities around the country, including nearby communities in Ohio (Columbus, Cincinnati) and in Pittsburgh, have required private contributions from companies who stand to benefit from publicly funded construction (examples: sports stadiums and Pittsburgh's arena/casino plan). Those who will benefit most are not the citizens funding the construction through the tax. As usual, it will be a small number of corporations who benefit. Instead of exacting the entire burden of the project on the public with an increase in the sales tax, we are asking the Commissioners to look at other possibilities for Convention Center funding, including asking those who will profit most from the Convention Center (Forest City, Medical Mart) to contribute private money OR put the sales tax proposal to a public vote.

Right.

Well, I don't know if the County Administrators care about what the people want or think actually. I doubt they listen to the sort of logic and reason that the rest of us enjoy.