Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If possible too would it be possible to add a tax over the bridges leading to and from VA into the district? This could generate significant $ and encourage people to be smarter regarding their commuting choices once we get back to normal conditions.

You don’t get it. Companies don’t have to be in DC. They would just move their offices to VA.

Companies don't have to be in NYC or SF either, and yet they are. If a commuter tax were enough to make them to move to Virginia, they'd be in Virginia already.

That's a poor comparison. A company being in the District versus Arlington or Bethesda would provide the same sort of office type, same geographical experience, same transit options, and would attract similar types of employees. SF vs. Oakland: totally different and separated by a large bay and bridge. SF vs. Palo Alto: too far away from each other. NYC vs. Hoboken/Jersey City: some similarities but the critical mass of business and amenities puts Manhattan in its own class.

Yes, when you exaggerate the differences, the differences look bigger.

As for NYC vs Hoboken, one could say exactly the same thing about DC vs. Arlington or Bethesda: some similarities but the critical mass of business and amenities puts DC in its own class.

Thats true for lobbying where proximity to Congress is important. Most other private employers are concentrated in Va or Md simply because there is more space. Also federal employees who work in the carved out new federal district would not pay the commuter tax. That would include Congress, The White House complex, and agencies in federal triangle and along the south side of the mall. DC’s height restrictions prevented DC from becoming the Manhattan of the region — too late now.

Im not sure the commuter tax would provide enough funds to cover the costs of courts, tuition assistance grants, and other programs currently funded by the Federal government. DC would likely need to increase income and/property taxes.

Anonymous wrote:The whole premise of this is bullshit. DC was intended to be a Federal District, not a state. It is this way in an attempt to keep it objective to state issues, and so the US Capitol did not "belong" to any state.

They have representation in Congress, to say otherwise is an outright lie.

This is just a Democrat power grab in an attempt to add more Electoral votes.

Congratulations you’ve won the stupidest argument award. We do not have voting representation. Read a book.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If possible too would it be possible to add a tax over the bridges leading to and from VA into the district? This could generate significant $ and encourage people to be smarter regarding their commuting choices once we get back to normal conditions.

You don’t get it. Companies don’t have to be in DC. They would just move their offices to VA.

Companies don't have to be in NYC or SF either, and yet they are. If a commuter tax were enough to make them to move to Virginia, they'd be in Virginia already.

That's a poor comparison. A company being in the District versus Arlington or Bethesda would provide the same sort of office type, same geographical experience, same transit options, and would attract similar types of employees. SF vs. Oakland: totally different and separated by a large bay and bridge. SF vs. Palo Alto: too far away from each other. NYC vs. Hoboken/Jersey City: some similarities but the critical mass of business and amenities puts Manhattan in its own class.

Yes, when you exaggerate the differences, the differences look bigger.

As for NYC vs Hoboken, one could say exactly the same thing about DC vs. Arlington or Bethesda: some similarities but the critical mass of business and amenities puts DC in its own class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If possible too would it be possible to add a tax over the bridges leading to and from VA into the district? This could generate significant $ and encourage people to be smarter regarding their commuting choices once we get back to normal conditions.

You don’t get it. Companies don’t have to be in DC. They would just move their offices to VA.

Companies don't have to be in NYC or SF either, and yet they are. If a commuter tax were enough to make them to move to Virginia, they'd be in Virginia already.

That's a poor comparison. A company being in the District versus Arlington or Bethesda would provide the same sort of office type, same geographical experience, same transit options, and would attract similar types of employees. SF vs. Oakland: totally different and separated by a large bay and bridge. SF vs. Palo Alto: too far away from each other. NYC vs. Hoboken/Jersey City: some similarities but the critical mass of business and amenities puts Manhattan in its own class.

Anonymous wrote:The whole premise of this is bullshit. DC was intended to be a Federal District, not a state. It is this way in an attempt to keep it objective to state issues, and so the US Capitol did not "belong" to any state.

They have representation in Congress, to say otherwise is an outright lie.

This is just a Democrat power grab in an attempt to add more Electoral votes.

???????????????????????????????????????

The remarkable thing about the "This is just a Democratic power grab" argument is that evidently the Republicans making it believe there is nothing they could do that would persuade DC residents to vote Republican. That's how little faith the Republicans have in their own principles and policies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If possible too would it be possible to add a tax over the bridges leading to and from VA into the district? This could generate significant $ and encourage people to be smarter regarding their commuting choices once we get back to normal conditions.

You don’t get it. Companies don’t have to be in DC. They would just move their offices to VA.

Companies don't have to be in NYC or SF either, and yet they are. If a commuter tax were enough to make them to move to Virginia, they'd be in Virginia already.

Anonymous wrote:If possible too would it be possible to add a tax over the bridges leading to and from VA into the district? This could generate significant $ and encourage people to be smarter regarding their commuting choices once we get back to normal conditions.

You don’t get it. Companies don’t have to be in DC. They would just move their offices to VA.

The whole premise of this is bullshit. DC was intended to be a Federal District, not a state. It is this way in an attempt to keep it objective to state issues, and so the US Capitol did not "belong" to any state.

They have representation in Congress, to say otherwise is an outright lie.

This is just a Democrat power grab in an attempt to add more Electoral votes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't be a no income tax state with the services DC provides - public transit, pre-K, even leaf pickup would be out of the question.

I believe they mean federal income tax. I would like to stay a district and go for that. OP, a few mineral rich states (Wyoming, probably Alaska) don't collect state income tax, because they have enough income already to cover services.

lol, no one is escaping federal income tax, and in no universe would DC forgo SALT taxes. Do you people not understand how blue states work?

Puerto Ricans don't pay federal tax. And they are the same status as DC. Years ago, republicans actually warmed up to this idea , including Newt Gingrich, and bascially making DC a tax haven

Puerto Ricans pay tax to Puerto Rico. That is similar to US tax tables not Florida.
However in 2019 Puerto Rico launched Act No. 60 of 2019, known as the Puerto Rico Incentives Code to attract individual resident investors and businesses. People and businesses that contribute alot but do not use resources.

We know people who were from Puerto Rico or their parents etc . Retiree is better off in Florida.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not just join Maryland? And then only a small portion downtown could be federal property (the mall, white house, congress, etc)

Maryland doesn’t want DC to join. Right now Annapolis and Baltimore are very happy being the seats of power in the state. If DC joins they lose their sway. And DC doesn’t want to join either... we like our unique identity.

Nobody wants DC.

DC wants DC.

-Maryland resident who supports DC statehood

Please don't involve yourself. Enjoy statehood, and anyone else who wants to can move and be your neighbor.

DC resident who does not support statehood.

why would you not support statehood?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't be a no income tax state with the services DC provides - public transit, pre-K, even leaf pickup would be out of the question.

I believe they mean federal income tax. I would like to stay a district and go for that. OP, a few mineral rich states (Wyoming, probably Alaska) don't collect state income tax, because they have enough income already to cover services.

lol, no one is escaping federal income tax, and in no universe would DC forgo SALT taxes. Do you people not understand how blue states work?

Puerto Ricans don't pay federal tax. And they are the same status as DC. Years ago, republicans actually warmed up to this idea , including Newt Gingrich, and bascially making DC a tax haven

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If DC residents don't want to pay federal income taxes, then let them stop. Just turn off the spigot of federal dollars that flow into the city to support services such as housing, education, and transportation.

What's your plan, here? If your residence is in DC, you're exempt from federal income taxes? Wouldn't it be less complicated to just make DC a state already?

Or we just keep our status of non-voting representation in Congress and the spigot stays open. Seems like a fair trade.

What spigot are you talking about? Federal money for housing, education and transportation goes to every state. D.C. doesn't get that money because it's not a state, and it wouldn't get less of it (or more of it) if we were a state.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If DC residents don't want to pay federal income taxes, then let them stop. Just turn off the spigot of federal dollars that flow into the city to support services such as housing, education, and transportation.

What's your plan, here? If your residence is in DC, you're exempt from federal income taxes? Wouldn't it be less complicated to just make DC a state already?

Or we just keep our status of non-voting representation in Congress and the spigot stays open. Seems like a fair trade.

Aside from that whole Taxation Without Representation thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If DC residents don't want to pay federal income taxes, then let them stop. Just turn off the spigot of federal dollars that flow into the city to support services such as housing, education, and transportation.

What's your plan, here? If your residence is in DC, you're exempt from federal income taxes? Wouldn't it be less complicated to just make DC a state already?

Or we just keep our status of non-voting representation in Congress and the spigot stays open. Seems like a fair trade.

Anonymous wrote:If DC residents don't want to pay federal income taxes, then let them stop. Just turn off the spigot of federal dollars that flow into the city to support services such as housing, education, and transportation.

What's your plan, here? If your residence is in DC, you're exempt from federal income taxes? Wouldn't it be less complicated to just make DC a state already?