Reply to MoCo ballot - Why is the language of Q.A and Q.B so complicated?

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Reply to "MoCo ballot - Why is the language of Q.A and Q.B so complicated?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The current way of calculating revenue from property taxes is based on past revenue, not the tax rate.  Question A is changing it so that it's based on the tax rate instead, making it more straightforward for the County Council to increase your property taxes every year (compounding).  Question B seeks to limit the amount of property taxes that can increase from year to year.  If the County Council can't grow the local economy more than the rate of inflation, then they shouldn't be able to increase our property taxes more than the rate of inflation either.  It's confusing because Elrich and the County Council want you to think no read it, think it's a binary choice between A/B, and choose A.  A means enabling the County Council to tax more, while B sets limits.  B still means your taxes will be higher year after year, but it goes up at a slower rate compared to A.  I like lower taxes, so I like B.  [/quote]

No.  The current charter limit forces the Council to lower the property tax rate every year.  Then every several years they unanimously override the limit, because a continually lowering rate in a county with rising property values is not sustainable if you want good public services.  Question B prohibits the Council from overriding the limit, ever, so the rate will just continue to go down.  That is why Ike Leggett, Connie Morella and David Blair have joined together to oppose it.  It is Tea Party idiocy.[/quote]

Right now, property assessments increase and tax rate can fluctuate up or down, but the two of them together lead to a net increase of your property tax bill every year.  If you pass A, it means both assessments AND tax rate increase every year, compounding the yearly increase.  It means your tax bill rises even faster than it does right now.  [/quote]

No.  Question A explicitly says the Council cannot increase the tax rate without a unanimous vote.  The rate will not increase every year.  Right now the limit is more stringent (the rate is forced to go down every year) and they rarely override it.[/quote]

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