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In our posting
"The 2012-2013 Oro Valley Budget: Something For Almost Everyone"
we wrote that the town budget did not include a reduction of the Utility Tax. As you'll recall, the current council voted to double the Utility Tax in order to pay for police and related services when there was a
budget shortfall in 2010.
At the Town Council Meeting on April 18, 2012, John Musolf suggested to the Town Council that the 2012-2013 Oro Valley Town budget include a reduction in the Utility Tax. His basis for recommending this is that the budget has a surplus. The Town is also expected to receive $583,000 from PIMA County from transferring the Town of Oro Valley Library from affiliate to branch status. The Town is expected to save $200,000 by switching Coyote Run from Town of Oro Valley to RTA funding.
Lest you think that John is "whining" about the Utility Tax and how much it costs him individually, you are wrong. Yes. The Utility Tax has cost John and all of us a significant amount of money. It will continue to do so, especially as utility rates increase.
We are not the only ones who are impacted. Businesses are also impacted.
Our schools are impacted. For example, the Amphi School District currently must use $75,000 of its budget to pay the Oro Valley Utility Tax. This reduces the funds that the Amphi school district has available to educate our children. Certainly, educating our children is a top priority for a "Town Of Excellence."
So, considering all this, John recommended to Council that it consider reducing the Utility Tax.
We agree with John's recommendation. A tax on the necessities like electricity or gas or water is a regressive tax. For this tax to be used to fund items that have absolutely no relationship to the item on which the tax is imposed is both "illogical" and "confiscatory".
Is time for the Oro Valley Town Council to rescind at lease a portion of this tax, helping both our senior citizens, who live on fixed incomes, and the children who attend our schools.
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4 comments:
Significant? An average of less than ten bucks a month (in most cases) is significant?
Pardon me for not agreeing with that.
Yes, but 75K for a school IS significant.
OV Objective Thinker missed the whole point of the guest view.
The Town ofOro Valley is taking away $75,000 of the Amphi School District Budget used to educate our children to spend elsewhere in the Town Budget. That is the important point.
OVOT is harping about the amount that a homeowner might pay as insignificant.
I suggested a utility tax rebate to the taxpayers since the Town has a surplus. Please pardon my concern for the taxpayers of Oro Valley
John Musolf
Nombe....I doubt that a figure of $.03 per day per student is going to have much of an impact on the quality of the education of the Amphi student.
John...I, as do the other residents appreciate your "concern" for the "taxpayers of Oro Valley". Keep in mind that we also paid for the staff time it took to pay for the 30 requests for records you have submitted since 1/1/11.
Maybe you will consider giving us a break on that in the future.
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