2008.03.30
Discuss Sunday's editorials
Lessons from the Center
Roanoke officials seem controversy-shy these days, but Mayor Harris was adept at steering a City Market quarrel into a productive dialogue.
Downtown Roanoke's Center in the Square is due for a sprucing up. The rough outline of a plan it made public Thursday looks a lot different than Roanokers might have expected last spring when word leaked that the landmark Weiner Stand and some market stalls might be uprooted.
A firestorm of criticism ensued, and Center officials incorporated the feedback into the renovation plan they are ready to introduce. The city's public officials ought to be able to take a lesson from that model -- since they were critical in developing it.
Read more.
Don't let states opt out of treaties
International treaties protect Americans abroad, but not foreign visitors to Texas.
Last week's Supreme Court decision that Texas may ignore international treaties came as a surprise. The majority of the court that supported it typically preaches a strict, literal reading of the Constitution. Yet it is the law, now, and the nation must adapt to it. Fortunately, Congress can undo the damage.
Read more.
NRV Current Editorial
Blacksburg needs a higher meals tax
And diners at Tech should start paying it.
No one enjoys paying a hefty meals tax in Blacksburg, but it is a smart means to ensure visitors help fund essential local services. Now if only Virginia Tech would have campus diners chip in.
Town leaders propose increasing the local meals tax from 5 percent to 6 percent, the same rate Christiansburg charges. Combined with the statewide 5 percent rate, diners at Ceritano's and other eateries could pay 11 cents for every dollar an entr
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Yeah, that's been our problem here in Blacksburg: Food doesn't cost enough.
But any time the politicians raise taxes on the poor, I know they are doing the work of the people. This will hurt the poor worse than anyone but those poor people don't need to be eating out anyway. Let them eat cake at home.
Comment by Henry — March 30, 2008 @ 2:28 pm
I think the focus should be on the elimination of Virginia's food tax rather than on a meal tax to fund "essential services". What services? Who decides that they are essential?
Comment by Jim — April 8, 2008 @ 2:05 pm
Jim, the General Assembly grants localities precious few options to generate revenue, and the meals tax is one of them. Blacksburg would be foolish to abandon it, and the state doesn't appear likely to change the law any time soon.
Nor should they. The nice thing about the meals tax is that it forces visitors to contribute to financing the services that they take advantage of. When people flood into town for a Tech game, they stress roads, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and so on.
The essential services it would fund, you would find if you read the rest of the editorial, are mostly police and cleaning downtown.
Comment by c. trejbal — April 8, 2008 @ 2:50 pm
Sometimes, Christ T., it almost sounds like you
Comment by terry — April 8, 2008 @ 9:28 pm
"The nice thing about the meals tax is that it forces visitors to contribute to financing the services that they take advantage of. When people flood into town for a Tech game, they stress roads, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and so on."
What a nice attitude to have about customers and visitors Blacksburg and every community covet. "Because they are here supporting our business, let's stick it to them".
Oxymoron of the day: Liberal businessman
Comment by Josh — April 8, 2008 @ 9:51 pm
Nope, terry, I must have missed that shredding you speak of. My conclusion, based on careful analysis of the FairTax proposal, remains that it would be foolish policy.
Comment by c. trejbal — April 8, 2008 @ 10:45 pm
Christian,
Just out of curiosity, why do you think the FairTax would be foolish policy? There do seem to be quite a few benefits to the proposal, including throwing out the current tax code, which has grown into so cumbersome a monster so as to be unworkable.
Additionally, it does seem to be one of the only proposals that actually get rid of a broken system with a true proposal. Most of what you hear from political candidates is just lip service about fixing the system without actually proposing a plan.
Comment by C Ramsey — April 8, 2008 @ 11:29 pm
Ramsey, I agree with you that the current tax system is broken. The best approach would probably be to chuck the whole thing and start over from scratch. I just don't think the FairTax is a good replacement. For some of my concerns, you can read my column from two years ago.
Comment by c. trejbal — April 9, 2008 @ 12:04 am
I think you over complicated the National Sales Tax in your column. A lot of people (like me) believe the tax will be across the board. There would be no rebates or probates. Everyone pays the same tax rate. The rich pay the same as the poor. The current sales tax works this way. The only difference would be a slightly lower rate on food.
Those who spend the most, pay the most.
But it isn't going to happen because politicans are not going to give up the ability to sell tax loopholes.
Comment by Henry — April 9, 2008 @ 7:16 am
Yes Christ T, I
Comment by terry — April 9, 2008 @ 9:54 am
Josh...
Interesting perspective.
Let's see...to have a business in a locality, presumably you need
1. Access to the business = public street.
2. Parking = Public Parking (either lot or garage).
3. Water/Sewage/Garbage Systems = Public Water System
4. Electric Utilities = Public Electric Service
I'm naming just a few basic necessities here. Now, using your assertion that we should not get revenue (taxes) from the patrons of those establishments that need the services/facilities that I outlined in order to be provided/maintained, then it would presumably be up to the business owner to pay more in business taxes, excise taxes on his/her respective profits to cover those costs.
Where is the fairness if the burden is placed solely on the business owner or the residents of a locality that perhaps don't even patronize the establishment in the first place? Are tourists/visitors to get off scott free? I don't think thats very fair.
Comment by Will — April 9, 2008 @ 12:14 pm
Will,
I think it's more the attitude that paying customers are a burden more than a benefit that rankles. The logic is to stick it to the very people you couldn't do without.
Come to think of it, that's what liberals do to the highest-achieving taxpayers.
Comment by Josh — April 9, 2008 @ 1:25 pm
Josh...
I don't think you got my point. Should you not give any of the burden to those who patronize the establishments but then place all the burden on the owners or perhaps even people who don't patronize them at all?
Comment by Will — April 9, 2008 @ 2:04 pm
Christian,
I finally got a chance to read your piece from '06. I'll have to say, it was a little difficult wading through all the snide comments. You might be more persuasive with a few more facts and a little less sarcasm.
But in any event, I would have to ask, how would the middle and lower class pay more under this plan? Do you mean that the FairTax would take a greater percentage of their income and would thus hit them harder? Even if that were the case, it isn't very accurate to say they would pay more.
The way I understand it, this tax hits those who buy the most hardest. It seems asinine to assert that someone who earns $30K a year would buy more goods and services than someone who earns $300K. Furthermore, wouldn't the $30K earner get a bigger "prebate" than the $300K earner?
But hey, at least we found an instance where you aren't in favor of a massive government welfare program.
Comment by C Ramsey — April 10, 2008 @ 12:58 am
Yeah CR,
Christian's review lacked much critical analysis. Then when pressed on specifics, he simply didn't respond.
Comment by Josh — April 10, 2008 @ 8:37 am