Reply to Why does Montgomery County Subsidize Taxes for Country Clubs?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]“if _________ has to pay a full tax rate, it’ll just shut down and sell the land to developers”

[b]Yeah? And? Why is that a bad thing? [/b]So there’s one less, or ten less, private country clubs. So what? Why should I care if rich a-holes have to play golf at Lake Needwood County Golf Course where I play?

If they sell the land to developers, and houses get built on it, those houses will generate more tax revenue than the club did.

Under Kelo v. New London, that was grounds for eminent domain in and of itself.[/quote]

The property values in Potomac would decline if the clubs and private schools left for VA. They're one of the few reasons why wealthy people still move to Potomac. Montgomery County has been going downhill for over a decade and is already getting really trashy. This would just put one more nail in the coffin. You won't raise enough in additional property taxes to offset the overall decline in value across the area. You lose income and sales tax revenues when you push out the wealthier base too. Its just cutting off your nose to spite your face.

The county has hired consultants to tell them why MoCo can't attract new business while neighboring counties, cities and states are flourishing. Amazon didn't even give MoCo a second look despite MoCo/MD waving 8 B in incentives. MoCo is seen as so hostile to business that almost no responsible businesses will consider relocating or starting here. Its not going to help anything to become even more hostile to more types of businesses.

Getting rid of the smaller swim and tennis clubs really screws normal non wealthy people that enjoy these places. This is where the swim teams practice, labor day parties happen and people meet new neighbors. There are plenty of smaller older houses that aren't in developments with an HOA pool.

[b]Its just stupid to spend time on this when the county is in REAL trouble. Its just so sad to see how idiots have wrecked what once was a good place to live.[/b] [/quote]

[b]Yes it is. It used to be one of the best places in the US and now it’s just an embarrassment and many of us are making exit plans. [/quote][/b]

BS. Go look at housing prices in the most desirable areas of MoCo - they ain't going down.

The fact of the matter is that Bethesda is no longer the sleepy suburb it once was 20-30 years ago. It's in the core area of a major MSA. There will be more and more density every year.

Don't compare Bethesda to Potomac; the proper analogy is Arlington. How many country clubs are there in Arlington? Just one (Washington Golf & Country Club....two if you count the Army-Navy Club owned by the USG. And I doubt WGCC is getting a deeply discounted tax rate.[/quote]

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