Monday, October 22, 2007

Its The Property Tax, Stupid!

Uhl Blog Survey Shows Taxes Are Biggest Concern To Nassau County Residents

In the recently concluded -- although admittedly unscientific -- e-poll as conducted by The Uhl Blog, 86% of those responding told us that the escalating property tax is, by far, the most pressing issue faced by residents.

While the blight upon our "Main Streets" and the condition of county parks and roadways ranked right up there, clearly, the bread and butter, "what's left in my wallet," issue of property taxes is first on the minds of Nassau's homeowners.

"This comes as no surprise," says Michael Uhl, Candidate for Nassau County Legislator in the 8th District. "While our legislature fiddles with smoke-and-mirror fixes -- like a "freeze" of the reassessment -- special taxing districts, wasteful government spending, duplication of services, and school budgets that, in some instances, are large enough to operate small countries, are out of control, sending our property taxes through the roof."

Rather than to merely "freeze" assessments (which, for 2008, owing to the decline in the housing market, would most likely go down, not up), Michael Uhl proposes that we clean out the festering would, rather than to pour salt on it, thereafter covering the infection with a Band-Aid.

"If you 'freeze' the assessment," Uhl opines, "as my opponent suggests, and your school district, water district, sanitary district -- shall I go on? -- needs still more money to grease the wheels of its burgeoning machine, then the taxing entity will simply increase the tax rate, leaving homeowners with the same assessed value as the year before, and a higher property tax bill."

Even assuming a "freeze" of the assessment was to hold the line on property taxes, Uhl asks, "Would you prefer that your taxes stay the same, or go down?"

The key, according to Michael Uhl, is not to 'freeze,' but to actually lower taxes by consolidating services, eliminating waste and duplication, and trimming spending of taxpayer money.

"Just how many water districts do we need in Nassau County?," asks Uhl. "And how many sanitary districts, at varying tax rates with inconsistent services, does it take to pick up the garbage? That's our money being flushed down the toilet and hauled off to the dump. Its got to stop!"

Readers of this blog are invited to take the latest e-poll, which asks about the most effective means of cutting property taxes. To participate in the e-poll, scroll down to the bottom of this page.

On Tuesday, November 6th, don't leave the lowering of your property tax to a smoke-and-mirrors "freeze," or to wishing upon a STAR. Send Michael Uhl to the Nassau County Legislature, and let's get some real tax relief.

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