Letter to the Editor: Are our taxes being used adequately at the local level?
Supreme Court Justice Olive Wnedel Homes wrote in 1927, “Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society,” when he dissented his opinion in the court case of Capmania General de Tabacos de Filipinas vs. the Internal Revenue Service.
Most people paid local taxes in December in the form of personal property and real estate taxes. We also pay a sales tax, meals tax, business tax, gas tax, and a host of other taxes. Most of us will work to pay our federal taxes that are due on Apr. 15 and state taxes due on May 1. My wife and I pay our share of taxes, but at the local level, one has to wonder how these taxes are being used.
We have been isolated and told to stay home as much as possible. Understood, but one day instead of going to the gym, I went to New Kent High School’s track to walk around in the open air. This New Kent taxpayer financed, multi-million-dollar facility was locked up tight and inaccessible. When contacting my school board member representative, a response in an email said it had been closed to the public for the past 15 years to prevent vandalism. Really? I know the track has not been closed to the public because I used to teach CrossFit there with no issues.
There are cameras all over the campuses. If there is vandalism, it would be relatively easy to apprehend the perpetrators. And if there aren’t cameras in the track area, then why not? Other surrounding localities allow citizens to use their facilities. The citizens of New Kent pay hard earned money to ensure the county functions properly. But they should also be allowed to benefit from the use of a facility that they pay for year in and year out. Open up the track.
While some supervisors work hard to get roads fixed, other roads are in greater disrepair. When I contacted my board of supervisors’ representative regarding several issues, the response has been timid at best. Fix the roads throughout New Kent.
Beside basic county functions, what are we receiving for the local taxes we pay every day? Are our local representatives occupying a seat or are they doing the work to make New Kent a better place to live and work? Do your job.
Herbert Jones
Providence Forge