In Representative Ed Clere’s Tribune column last Tuesday, he wrote that he hadn't heard from "anyone opposed to the (property tax) caps."
After commenting here at NAC, I resolved to contact Rep. Clere's office and make my opinion about property tax caps known. I didn’t save an exact copy of my words, as typed into the e-mail form at the official web site, but here's the gist of it:
Count me among those opposed, at least until it is explained to me why rental property ownership is not a business activity to be taxed at the same 3% rate as my own.
So far, so good. Unfortunately, it has digressed from there.
A “we read all mail” reply was duly e-generated, and then on Thursday, while enjoying a day spent out of town, I received a phone message from one of the Representative’s representatives, who acknowledged receiving my e-mail, noted that the Courier-Journal (is that the name of the newspaper "down there"?) was about to do a story on the same topic, and asked me if I’d be interested in providing the writer with the “I’m against it” perspective on property tax caps.
I didn’t call back to let him arrange matters for the story, which appeared today. Rather, I waited until the story appeared to return the flippant assistant’s phone call and to perhaps make something clear to him.
Basically, neither he nor his boss has yet undertaken to venture an answer to my question.
I'd really like to know. Why is the rental property ownership business deserving of a 1% discount?
Or, conversely, why is my business subject to a 1% surcharge?
Recall that nowhere in any of this did I indicate inexorable opposition to the idea of property tax caps, even if persistent Republican hypocrisy on the matter of actively starving local governments of cash, and then encouraging mayors to beg like trained seals for the relative farthings to be gleaned from an alcohol excise tax increase on my non-rental property beer business, makes me want to vomit long and loud.
I've asked a question. Can the elected official please make a stab at answering it?
Or am I asking too much?
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8 comments:
Perhaps you misread the column:
Last week, I asked you to contact me if you support tax caps.
I have previously emailed Clare 2x and left two messages with his staff, trying to reach him and never heard back.
I'm not impressed.
I've also contacted him regarding the privatization of the FSSA...never heard back
Add me to the growing "Never Heard Back" list.
My quiery was concerning the Vote Center concept that the Secretary of State and many if not most Indiana's County Clerks are prposing.
Apparantly none of us has broached an issue that is of any consequence to his "Staff"!
My missive to Rep. Clere (R-New Albany) was sent minutes after the last column appeared, expressing my belief that the P.T. caps were foolish, discriminatory, ideological, and partisan. In essence, I told Ed that I was writing mainly so that he could never again say "no one" contacted me opposing the constitutional amendment to lock in P.T. caps permanently.
I have not heard back from Mr. Clere.
I know that others have also called or written him and received no response. On the other hand, when I shared with him some research regarding sales tax discrimination and the Internet sales tax, he expressed further interest.
Given the unmistakably partisan tone of Rep. Clere's recent columns in the Tribune, and conceding that I don't know the exact procedure for filing as a candidate, if a challenger filed for office today, would the newspaper be obliged to provide equal time?
I left him a message during the campaign and he has still not returned my phone call.
No, newspapers are not required to provide equal time, but they generally love letting both sides have their say. If Clere's published column contains gross factual errors like "no one's contacted me to say they're against...", why don't you drop a letter to the editor and call him out on the editorial page? It's nice to compare notes here, but most of the audience he's trying to influence isn't seeing your patter.
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