During the last few years, I have noticed an ever increasing amount of double-standard views on an also ever-increasing number of topics. The topic for my soapbox rant is the use of double standards in our tax system. There are a number of large corporations in our state that wish to announce their support for an increase in fuel tax. While I agree that our roads and bridges have deteriorated drastically and we have a desperate need to correct this situation, I am not so eager to jump on the “raise taxes” bandwagon and neither should they.
First example of the double standard view I will refer to is taken from the editorial page of the July 22 Columbian-Progress. Joe Sanderson Jr., CEO of Sanderson Farms chicken processor, was referenced as saying he was in favor of a tax increase on fuel even though it would cost his company more to operate. But when his operating cost increases that increase just gets passed along to all those people who buy Sanderson Farms chicken and not removed from his “slightly phenomenal” salary. Another point was the city of Laurel granted the company tax exempt status because the company said it would otherwise be forced to start cutting costs, which translates to laying workers off. Now I would like Mr. Sanderson to please explain why he thinks the average citizen of this state can buy his chicken and pay more taxes on what he is paying employees but his corporation can’t pay its business taxes without cutting costs.
I am well aware of our road situation, but will not support any tax increase of any kind. All these years that these deteriorated roads and bridges have existed there has been a continuing collection of road and bridge tax, car tags or privilege tax, along with the tax on fuel. Where is it? For every load of timber cut and transported on these roads there is an additional tax collected under the pretense of road damage. Where is it? Now add the interest if this evaporated money had it been properly invested and managed.
I am yet to find even one reference comparing the number of people living on the hand-out system verses the earn-it system. If a person goes to work daily, drives a vehicle, owns property and eats, he pays taxes at every step. Why not require the same from a person drawing a welfare check? For a person who has had no pay raise in more than 10 years, I find it increasingly difficult to pay all the increasing prices and taxes.
It appears that those who request tax increases or those who request additional funding to cause the request cannot understand the term BUDGET. I have watched property taxes increase, privilege taxes increase, school taxes increase and even sit back while some elite people got pay raises while most of us remained the same or took a cut in pay or house. These tax increases are initiated under the excuse of “operational costs keep going up.” Expenses may be going up but it’s not because of employee salaries, yet the employee along with everyone using their service or buying their product gets stuck again.
How about if we just level the playing field? No price increase without an equal pay increase; no tax increase without providing services for what you have already collected.
When tax and cost increases are accompanied with equal income increases we can all live on an equal budget, but as long as there exists an unending budget for some we can never grow as a town, city, business or state. I would like to remind those who read this article in full that these comments and opinions are my own and I am representing no one but myself.
K.R. McNEASE
Columbia
