Can we have a great city without higher taxes?

Is the sky falling?

When the Mayor John Peyton's new budget was introduced on July 16th, we were told that our way of life was in jeopardy. Without $26.5 million in new taxes, city government could not provide necessary services to Jacksonville. Parks would deteriorate. Libraries would close their doors. Police officers and firemen would not be able to protect you. Chicken Little would be proud of Jacksonville city government.

Do we have a fiscal crisis?

The truth is that Jacksonville does not need the new taxes. As pointed out by Florida Times Union Reader Advocate Wayne Ezell (What budget report didn't tell, Florida Times Union, July 22,2007), "In reality, the shortfall and gap would refer to the difference between the amount of revenue that is readily available and the amount the mayor wants to spend. The 'cuts' would be how much he is reducing the proposed increases in spending."

Under the Mayor's new budget:

• City spending will increase by $57 million.
• City government will pull in $16.5 million more in property taxes in the next fiscal year which is more than 3% over the current fiscal year.
• Despite the Mayor's rhethoric concerning the new taxes, most homeowners will pay more in new taxes than they receive in property tax savings. The Mayor promised a $79 savings to the average homeowner when the property tax savings and the new taxes were calculated into his or her tax bill. However, as noted by Ezell, the $77 that the average homeowner will recieve in new taxes next year does not represent the annual cost to the homeowner since the new taxes start in the middle of the year. When the costs of the new taxes are annualized, the average homeowner would lose $28 despite the property tax reform. Enjoy the $79 tax savings now. If the new taxes are not repealed for the 2008/2009 budget, city government will be taking an ever bigger cut from your paycheck.

We need smaller government

The problem is that city government wants to be everything to everybody. From the Childrens Commission to business incentives to subsidizing nonprofit organizations, city government has moved way past the core government functions usually associated with city goverment, i.e. police and fire services, road maintenance, etc. What city government should do is provide those core functions that cannot be provided by the free market and leave the rest to the private sector and private charity. By the time that the new budget comes up for a vote on September 25, the crescendo of voices in Jacksonville in support of this message should leave the politicians' ear ringing.

Sponsored by the Duval County Libertarian Party.

© 2007 Duval County Libertarian Party