Another political give away. The PM gives up property taxes.

Posted on April 14, 2007 by weblogbahamas

by Rick Lowe

Prime Minister Perry Christie in his recent eurphoria at a PLP rally (must happen after he does his Junkanoo jig) promised to remove property taxes on homes up to $400,000 according to press reports.

This effectively removes property tax as a revenue stream for the government.

What is curious about this is that Senator James Smith, Minister of State for Finance is constantly suggesting that the present level of taxation is not enough to support the government.

In that case, why would the PM give away tax dollars the government so desperately needs?

One argument is that nobody pays property tax any way.

Well property tax happens to be a law and if we disagree with it the answer is to lobby to have it changed, not to stop paying them!

Hey come to think of it, neither party is discussing the national debt, lack of liquidity or the possible increase in borrowing rates.

Last election the PLP drove it home quite successfully that the FNM was wasting tax dollars while dramatically increasing the country’s debt load. The PLP have done the same thing and now appear to be given a pass.

The proper way to reduce taxation is to slow government spending then decrease taxation.

What am I missing?

Maybe those Junkanoo jigs are bad, not only for Mr. Christie’s bad heart, but for the country at large?

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3 Responses to Another political give away. The PM gives up property taxes.

  1. C.lowe's avatar C.lowe says:
    April 14, 2007 at 6:50 pm

    No doubt you are familiar with the “Nero fiddled while Rome burned” analogy.
    Import taxes/tarrifs and sundry fees levied are insufficient at the very least due to explosive population growth, against infrastuctural negligence, long term.
    Put that in an international/trade/wto context and you have spelled trouble.
    Mix in a little pre-election emotion and the ball is rolling, in the wrong direction.
    Therein lies our country, until we change it.

    Reply
  2. n/a's avatar n/a says:
    April 15, 2007 at 6:44 am

    What is curious about this is
    that Senator James Smith,
    Minister of State for Finance
    is constantly suggesting that
    the present level of taxation
    is not enough to support the
    government.
    Of course it isn’t curious at all. Can you name any major or minor government that doesn’t enjoy debt spending? Any government(al department) that doesn’t “need” more money.
    In that case, why would the PM
    give away tax dollars the
    government so desperately needs?
    For what else but votes?
    What other motivation does any “democratic” government have? You got to be voted in (again) before you get to rape the people and stuff your pockets.
    One argument is that nobody
    pays property tax any way.
    Huh? One could hope. But as far as the government rationale is concerned this argument is a straw man.
    Well property tax happens to
    be a law and if we disagree
    with it the answer is to
    lobby to have it changed, not
    to stop paying them!
    Such naivete.
    For the remainder I will assume that you know the difference between “legal” and “moral”. More precisely: I assume that you know the term “legal” does not imply “moral” and vice versa.
    So… if a law is immoral, then what? Do you lobby to have it changed? Or would you do the right thing in the meantime? I hope the latter.
    By what standards is it moral to tax people to provide for public schools that produce illiterate idiots with a D- average?
    Is it really immoral to withhold one’s money from the government in order to be able to afford sending one’s kids to a decent school?
    Or does one have to hand one’s money over to the government, send one’s kids to public school (ruining their future) until such time that one’s lobbying takes effect?
    Keep in mind that the economics law of scarcity suggests that for most Bahamians these options are mutually exclusive. One can only spend money once.
    Spending money on government (in general, but especially in this country) is casting pearls before the swines. (Swines may take exception to this comparison though…)
    We surely don’t need to lobby for permission to stop wasting our pearls?

    Reply
  3. Rick's avatar Rick says:
    April 15, 2007 at 7:17 am

    You make some very valid points.
    My personal view is that taxation is theft, but we have a long way to go before our fellow “swines” get there.
    Thanks for taking the time to comment.

    Reply

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