Taxes and Fees | Coral Gables Watch

What to Expect from Mr. Rosenblatt: More Capital Spending

November 21, 2010 2 Comments

The visitors are not coming because of the absence of the new street-scape. It is the absence of relevant businesses, lack of a friendly environment and a missing leadership in shaping the kinds of business that are needed, and, please, not more tall buildings.

Friends, you will get more taxes from Mr. Rosenblatt.

But the biggest challenge of the BID still remains: getting the Streetscape Project off the paper before it is too late and visitors of downtown Coral Gables move to other sites. “We have to make sure we get this project done before downtown starts to underperform, Rosenblatt said. “We will have to partner up with city and residents so this is a priority that happens for everybody.

via Miracle Mile streetscape in limbo – Coral Gables – MiamiHerald.com.

Filed under Business and Commerce, Coral Gables, Economy, Taxes and Fees

Better No Tax Cut for Anyone–Save $3.7 trillion in Debt

November 15, 2010 Leave a comment

The argument is simple enough. Do not reinstate the tax cuts for all taxpayers. The actual final spending impact is small, the middle class loses $888/family and the group with millions in income get $100’s of thousands/taxpayer. Better to save the debt and cut the deficit by $3.7 million in tax cuts.

The question is: Is it better to extend the tax cuts for everyone or for no one? The answer is to extend them for no one.

The Bush tax cuts have always overwhelmingly benefited the rich, not the middle class, and that is no less true today than when they were enacted. They were bad policy then and they are bad policy today. Extending the tax cuts would dramatically enrich the wealthy relative to everyone else. 65.5 percent of the total benefit would go to the top quintile by income, 26.8 percent to the top 1 percent, and 14.7 percent to the top 0.1 percent.*

via Dear Mr. President « The Baseline Scenario.

Filed under National, Taxes and Fees

DOA Deficit Commission

November 13, 2010 Leave a comment

Most economists agree with this view on income taxes. I agree with the view on social security. Let higher income groups pay more social security taxes and plenty of taxes on their social security earning. Above a certain income and wealth level people should not get social security.

…There is no — zero — evidence that income taxes at current rates are an important drag on growth.

Oh, and they’re talking about raising the retirement age, because people live longer — except that the people who really depend on Social Security, those in the bottom half of the distribution, aren’t living much longer. So you’re going to tell janitors to work until they’re 70 because lawyers are living longer than ever.

Still, I guess this is what it takes to get compromise, if by compromise you mean something the center-right and the hard right can agree on.

Update: It’s here. And it really is that bad. The idea that co-chairs of a commission whose charge is fiscal sustainability should take it upon themselves to (a) declare that federal revenue must not exceed 21 percent of GDP — that’s right, putting a cap on receipts and (b) call for reducing the top rate from 35 to 23 is just awesome.

via Economics and Politics – Paul Krugman Blog – NYTimes.com.

Filed under Economy, National, Taxes and Fees

Coral Gables: What Should We Ask the Candidates for Commissioner and Mayor? (1)

November 5, 2010 1 Comment

It is election time again.

There are a number of well financed candidates for the jobs of commissioner and mayor. It is hoped that the candidates volunteer their views on property taxes, pensions, salaries, city management and organization, the Biltmore problem, the country club, spending on low priority items, among others.

We look forward in hearing about some of their specific proposals and suggestions for solving the cities problems.

Here are some critical questions that should be asked of the candidates.

These are just examples of questions that might be raised. Send me your suggestions and I will add them to the list.

TAXES–

What are your proposals for future tax increases?
Should taxes be frozen for several years in light of the economic crisis the taxpayers are going through in Coral Gables, or should they continue to increase? Do you favor a real tax freeze (not numbers games with the millage rate)?
Do you think that taxpayers are able to continue to pay more and more taxes, as they have in the past.
Do you favor increasing fees to make up for tax shortfalls?

BUDGET–

Do you favor having an open discussion of the budget by citizens, rather than the two-minute-moments they are getting now.
Will the city manager and staff be willing to accept multiple questions on the budget?

OPEN AND TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT–

What will you do about making our government more open and more participatory?
Do you favor any of the following: town hall meetings, open website with a page for comments and question, regular reports from the city manager, quarterly progress reports on the budget, among others.

SALARIES, PENSIONS, UNIONS–

What should be the goals of the city negotiations with the police and firefighters?
Should the negotiations continues to be secret for the citizens?
Should police and firefighter salaries and benefits be cut.
Should the number of police and firefighters be cut to help cut expenses and taxes?
Are you willing to take a strong stance against salaries and benefits in future Impasse Hearing?

PRIORITY SERVICES–

What services do you propose to cut in order to keep our taxes down?
Will you restrict unnecessary spending related to the Museum or other community centers in Coral Gables?

CAPITAL SPENDING–