taxes
I've been writing about local government funding and the relationship of the state to the locals for a couple of decades now. Given that we saw a serious 'no' vote on the real estate transfer tax and are in the midst of another discussion over property taxes, I thought I'd get another revenue source that's not talked about all that much on the table.
Do you want to help ensure Democrats win in 2010?
What if one step was so simple it only required you to place a check mark on a form you already have to fill out?
This year, when you file your taxes, be sure to check off the Democratic Party under NC Political Parties Financing Fund.
Doing so won't cost you one extra penny on your tax return or reduce your refund, and you'll be helping to guarantee that Democrats across the state have the necessary funding to compete in 2010.
It's that simple.
Additionally, you can also support public financing of campaigns by supporting the Public Campaign Fund.
This Fund pays for a useful Voter Guide sent to all homes and helps candidates in NC's top courts who accept spending limits and refuse big campaign donations.
Niether of the options affects your tax bill or refund in any way.
I ran across the yard sign pictured at left quite a few times as I was driving through central Orange County today, particularly plastered along the strip-mall section of Hillsborough along Churton St between the two interstates. Something tells me these folks aren't interested in "revolting" by lobbying their state representatives to allow us to utilize alternative revenue options. Does anyone have any insight about the story behind the signs? Is this a grassroots effort or is there an existing anti-tax group sponsoring this?
Homestead Park is in the news, especially since the new Aquatic Center opened to the public. However, what people may not know, and it is certainly newsworthy, is that other facilities in Homestead Park are firmly padlocked, and the public do not have access. Namely, the football fields (of which there are two), and the baseball fields (of which there are also two). "It must be maintenance", I hear you say -- but no. There are two of each kind of facility, so while one is padlocked for maintenance, the other could be available. No again -- they are ALL padlocked. I am sure this is not what people had in mind when the funds were approved for this important development. Nowadays it is quite common to see parents hoisting their children over the five-foot fences so they can have a game. When questioned about this, a representative from the Parks Dept responded, "... the fewer people we allow on the turf, the less work we have to do". Our tax dollars at work! Is this what we had in mind?
Estimated Orange County property valuations for 2009 have now been published and may be accessed here:
http://gis.co.orange.nc.us/land/search.asp
My estimated valuation increased by about 33% over my current valuation and by about 62% over the 2004 valuation, yet it still remains slightly less than what I actually paid for my house three years ago.
Update: The county suggests using http://server2.co.orange.nc.us/Addresses/ for faster GIS searching.
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