W-b Oks Taking $3.7 Million Loan 
The Move Is Part Of A Plan To Get Its Debts Under Control, Mayor Leighton
Says.

400-yard Freestyle Relay Team Stars As Wvw Wins

Thursday, January 27, 2005 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





Luzerne County residents are very generous. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They don't seem to mind paying $50 a month to the cable company. They tithe
their churches. They give their money away to anyone with a sob story. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But we sure do hate paying petty taxes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 We were bawling in our beer when the state increased the malt beverage tax
a few years back. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 We were smoking mad when the state burned us with a cigarette tax hike. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And we smoldered like catalytic convertors gone bad when the state required
costly auto emissions inspections. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For some reason, we don't raise as much of a fuss when the government picks
our pockets the old fashioned way. It seems that people have come to accept
the traditional slate of income, real estate and sales taxes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But let a new tax rear its ugly head, especially one that permits taxation
without representation, and people say enough is enough. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When the keepers of the state tax codes granted municipalities the right to
enact a tax of up to $52 on people who work in their towns, no matter where
they reside, council members and supervisors seized the opportunity. And
taxpayers wanted to seize them - by the necks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There were letters to the editor, threats of business boycotts, plenty of
SAYSO calls. Taxpayers delivered their objections to public officials at
meetings, and on the telephone. People were reaching for their wallets, just
to make sure they were still there. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nobody likes to pay taxes, especially when you don't have a chance to vote
the buggers out. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Towns with much to gain act first &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre with its office buildings. Wilkes-Barre Township with its
retail stores. Wright Township with its industrial park. It should come as no
surprise that those who host the most workers were among the first to enact
the right-to-work tax, officially known as the Emergency and Municipal
Services Tax. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The local politicians will tell a commuter that it's payment for services
rendered. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Don't you want an ambulance to come if you're having a heart attack at
work? A fire truck if you catch on fire? Don't you want a cop to be there if
you run a red light? Skip that last one. But you get the idea. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But in defense of the town fathers, it's more than that. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The only way for local governments to raise revenue is to raise real estate
tax rates, and they would jump at the chance to tax anything other than real
estate. Anything. The property tax well is running dry. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Luzerne County tax sale list looks like a magazine. The sheriff lists
more properties than most Realtors. And local governments are tired of
lowering the tax boom on Grandma, who is struggling to hang onto the house. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Property owners have had enough. You buy a house, you pay the mortgage,
you'd like to think you own it. But in reality, thanks to real estate taxes,
you're renting it off the city, the county and the school district. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The commuter tax is a poor imitation of raising the cap on the local income
tax. But at least it's taxing people with jobs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Local governments need more options. And property owners need a break. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Call Jones at 829-7215 or e-mail caseyj@leader.net &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Well, At Least It's Not More Property Taxes