YouTube is starting come in really handy for local politics these days. Here’s a doozy from my neck of the woods. Apparently the fact that our county has the #1 business growth rate in Virginia must have nothing to do with the fact that this is one of the only counties in the state that has no BPOL (Business/Professional Occupational License) tax. So along comes Stafford’s own BPOL tax to solve that problem — and it’s a tax on gross receipts, not net!
That’s OK, I guess we’d rather encourage everybody to simply get their cars onto I-95 to work up north in D.C. After all, what does more local small business get us anyway? They simply take up space where we could put more MegaMarts, create tax revenue, and enliven the community. I sincerely doubt that the four imbeciles on the Board of Supervisors who approved this insanity will retain their seats in the next election.
Dude? I thought you were up the Eastern seaboard these days. Are you back down here, or are you reminiscing?
@John Irvine: The whole relocation thing’s basically on hold, until someone buys our doggone house. The market’s not being helpful. The rental market’s no better and I can’t manage this property from 500 miles away, nor do I trust someone else to do it. So until then, we’re staying in Virginia.
That’s one great thing about the Northeast: the taxes are so much better. Northeast New Zealand, that is.
Geesh – this is what you get when you elect non-professionals to your board of supervisors. I just wish for one CPA on this board – or maybe someone with at least remedial math skills.
And why the heck is it that Democrats always push tax increases when times get tough? That’s the *worst* time to raise taxes.
Asinine.
I was very enamored of the small businesspeople who spoke up. These were very smart (common sense) people.
BTW, get ready to move your assets out of whatever equities class(es) you have them in today. Bush’s tax cuts expire end of 2009. They will not likely be renewed with the Dems in power – and especially not if Obama is pres. That means a tax increase of about 20% overnight.
Probably the biggest fault in the logic of those in favor of higher taxes is that they believe sticking it to a business ends there. Rudimentary economics proves the consumer always bears the load of taxes. And that’s if increased taxes didn’t affect employment levels.
My political view right now, unfortunately is: “The only thing worse than a government led by Republicans is a government led by Democrats.”
I should add that that 20% increase in taxes on equities will have a massively larger effect, sending share prices of dividend-paying stocks down 50% or more and probably sending unemployment up.
I don’t mind so much bad things happening. Sometimes, they help teach good lessons. I just wish the lessons were learned… that failed policies did not get obfuscated by charlatan politicians and their fellow travelers in the media.