DC Councilmember floats 3 percent tax increase on everyone

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to work for DC Government. There are soooo many places to cut that don't effect social services.

Wait, are you saying we don't need 20 "Safe Passage" employees standing around outside a high school looking at their phones?

Tell me about it. It’s plenty of them around JRHS yet someone got killed. They never intervene anyway when the kids are smoking or shooting dice. What is their purpose exactly?

[Anonymous]

Some increase in budget is inevitable because everything costs more. But it certainly would be nice to see them attempting to cut the fat before raising everyone's taxes.

I am actually more interested in a targeted tax like Nadeau's on food delivery simply because then you choose whether or not to pay it. I don't know that food delivery is the right target (what is the reasoning on taxing that? increased burden on traffic by delivery drivers? unsure) but targeted taxes on activities that aren't necessary don't bother me as much as across the board increases.

What I'd really love is if we didn't live in this dumb no mans land with regards to marijuana, and we could just tax that industry to the hilt. We get all the negatives of legalized marijuana without the revenue benefit. It's so annoying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to work for DC Government. There are soooo many places to cut that don't effect social services.

Wait, are you saying we don't need 20 "Safe Passage" employees standing around outside a high school looking at their phones?

Tell me about it. It’s plenty of them around JRHS yet someone got killed. They never intervene anyway when the kids are smoking or shooting dice. What is their purpose exactly?

The purpose is to allow politicians to give jobs to their friends. Same as Janeese's "Violence interrupters." It's all graft.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to work for DC Government. There are soooo many places to cut that don't effect social services.

Wait, are you saying we don't need 20 "Safe Passage" employees standing around outside a high school looking at their phones?

Tell me about it. It’s plenty of them around JRHS yet someone got killed. They never intervene anyway when the kids are smoking or shooting dice. What is their purpose exactly?

They serve no purpose. It's basically a jobs program for people who otherwise don't work. My kid used to attend a school where there was a shooting a few years ago (not JR) and they brought in the Safe Passage team who did absolutely nothing. My kid doesn't go to that school anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some increase in budget is inevitable because everything costs more. But it certainly would be nice to see them attempting to cut the fat before raising everyone's taxes.

I am actually more interested in a targeted tax like Nadeau's on food delivery simply because then you choose whether or not to pay it. I don't know that food delivery is the right target (what is the reasoning on taxing that? increased burden on traffic by delivery drivers? unsure) but targeted taxes on activities that aren't necessary don't bother me as much as across the board increases.

What I'd really love is if we didn't live in this dumb no mans land with regards to marijuana, and we could just tax that industry to the hilt. We get all the negatives of legalized marijuana without the revenue benefit. It's so annoying.

I'm only interested in that tax because it would prinarily impact the annoying subset of Millennial transplants that have been behind half the dumb ass crap the Council has been pushing since the pandemic.

[Anonymous]

It was a letter sent and it has already been shot down. I see it as a non-factor.

There are other taxes being floated, an increase in non-resident property tax (like was done in NYC) and higher taxes on unearned income (just drive wealthy people out of DC!) and so on.

[Anonymous]

Matt Frumin is a clear and present danger to Ward 3. His policies across the board have made his constituents less safe and poorer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some increase in budget is inevitable because everything costs more. But it certainly would be nice to see them attempting to cut the fat before raising everyone's taxes.

I am actually more interested in a targeted tax like Nadeau's on food delivery simply because then you choose whether or not to pay it. I don't know that food delivery is the right target (what is the reasoning on taxing that? increased burden on traffic by delivery drivers? unsure) but targeted taxes on activities that aren't necessary don't bother me as much as across the board increases.

What I'd really love is if we didn't live in this dumb no mans land with regards to marijuana, and we could just tax that industry to the hilt. We get all the negatives of legalized marijuana without the revenue benefit. It's so annoying.

No, no increase in tax RATE is required to meet inflation. That’s why we tax in percentages and not dollars.

[Anonymous]

Interesting post on the Cleveland Park Listserve

https://groups.io/g/clevelandpark/message/236575

Thanks for bringing up the write-in idea, but, with respect, why not ask us to read the whole article, and look into the budget issues DC needs to solve, before picking a name out of the hat of former DC staffers? https://51st.news/2026-dc-budget-changes-commanders-ranked-choice-voting/

Feel the pain, too. Raising taxes is always unpopular. We are weighing dire issues like reduced TANF to those whose food doesn’t last the whole month as it is.

The economy isn’t doing well, and many people have lost their jobs, so they aren’t paying the taxes they were.

Mr. Frumin has been doing an excellent job of listening to all sides and searching for solutions.

If we will recall, he even supported a solution to permit people who invested in out-of-state munis to continue to have the tax shelter typically granted to in-state as an aid to seniors.

Telling us when the emperor has no clothes is rarely popular, but it is brave and honest.

DC has already cut teachers. DC has already cut environment & health.

Taxes are for running the government. If we have lots of our neighbors who have lost their jobs, general downturns, etc. raising taxes with a temporary surtax might be a practical solution.

When the budget gets this tight, we have to face some tough choices.

On the other hand, totally applaud the idea of a write-in campaign against Phil Mendelson because he just got caught, again, using DC council staff, offices, equipment & supplies to file a challenge to keep Jack Evans out of the race for Council Chair. This is an incumbent using our taxes to thwart any opponents from being able to run against him for office. Shades of Huey P. Long!

Apparently Mendelson was fined, but he still gets to run unopposed, so how democratic is that?
https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/782998/mendelson-ethics-complaint-government-resources-campaign-activity/

Erin Palmer comes to mind since she dared to run against Council Chair-for-life before. Open to suggestions for a good candidate for a write-in campaign.

Again, thank you for bringing up the option of write-in candidate. It is an important part of elections. Respectfully disagree on the candidate, but otherwise on the same page.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting post on the Cleveland Park Listserve

https://groups.io/g/clevelandpark/message/236575

Thanks for bringing up the write-in idea, but, with respect, why not ask us to read the whole article, and look into the budget issues DC needs to solve, before picking a name out of the hat of former DC staffers? https://51st.news/2026-dc-budget-changes-commanders-ranked-choice-voting/

Feel the pain, too. Raising taxes is always unpopular. We are weighing dire issues like reduced TANF to those whose food doesn’t last the whole month as it is.

The economy isn’t doing well, and many people have lost their jobs, so they aren’t paying the taxes they were.

Mr. Frumin has been doing an excellent job of listening to all sides and searching for solutions.

If we will recall, he even supported a solution to permit people who invested in out-of-state munis to continue to have the tax shelter typically granted to in-state as an aid to seniors.

Telling us when the emperor has no clothes is rarely popular, but it is brave and honest.

DC has already cut teachers. DC has already cut environment & health.

Taxes are for running the government. If we have lots of our neighbors who have lost their jobs, general downturns, etc. raising taxes with a temporary surtax might be a practical solution.

When the budget gets this tight, we have to face some tough choices.

On the other hand, totally applaud the idea of a write-in campaign against Phil Mendelson because he just got caught, again, using DC council staff, offices, equipment & supplies to file a challenge to keep Jack Evans out of the race for Council Chair. This is an incumbent using our taxes to thwart any opponents from being able to run against him for office. Shades of Huey P. Long!

Apparently Mendelson was fined, but he still gets to run unopposed, so how democratic is that?
https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/782998/mendelson-ethics-complaint-government-resources-campaign-activity/

Erin Palmer comes to mind since she dared to run against Council Chair-for-life before. Open to suggestions for a good candidate for a write-in campaign.

Again, thank you for bringing up the option of write-in candidate. It is an important part of elections. Respectfully disagree on the candidate, but otherwise on the same page.

TANF is a federal program. How is DC going to keep back funding?

[Anonymous]

I think the point is, we are going to have a lot of desperate, hungry people, which leads to crime and other issues, that if the local government doesn't help address, will become a bigger issue over time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the point is, we are going to have a lot of desperate, hungry people, which leads to crime and other issues, that if the local government doesn't help address, will become a bigger issue over time.

Oh brother. People are not doing this because there's desperate. They're doing it because they can get away with it. Enforce the law. It's not that complicated.

[Anonymous]

An income tax increase is insulting, obviously. The pied-à-terre tax is actually not a bad idea. You’d be shocked at how many super wealthy progressives, some very well known, with DC Statehood lawn signs are actually NH “residents” for income tax purposes. It’s kind of a thing in that orbit. Of course they love all the crazy social spending because it doesn’t cost them a dime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the point is, we are going to have a lot of desperate, hungry people, which leads to crime and other issues, that if the local government doesn't help address, will become a bigger issue over time.

Oh brother. People are not doing this because there's desperate. They're doing it because they can get away with it. Enforce the law. It's not that complicated.

If they didn't need to steal, they wouldn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An income tax increase is insulting, obviously. The pied-à-terre tax is actually not a bad idea. You’d be shocked at how many super wealthy progressives, some very well known, with DC Statehood lawn signs are actually NH “residents” for income tax purposes. It’s kind of a thing in that orbit. Of course they love all the crazy social spending because it doesn’t cost them a dime.

I have no issue with taxes on pied-a-terre's (like over and above the homestead deduction that residents take) and higher taxes on grocery deliveries are fine. I doub't that closes the gap though.