Setting the record straight
Dear Editor,
I did not attack Debbie Rose in the letter to the editor. I stated the reason other cities might have lower payroll taxes — because they get the payroll taxes county-wide, not just city-wide. And the county gets its payroll taxes from city employees, not just from county employees. That is why I¿stated she did not do her homework. They are paying double payroll taxes. Is this what the employees want in Winchester?
The employers in other cities pay more occupational licenses than the employers do in Winchester.
I stated that the city cut out all out-of-state travel. But it came out that the city cut out all state travel, which was wrong.
The employees are required to have training to maintain their certifications. Not all employees use the education reimbursement, just like not all city commissioners or the mayor are in the retirement plan as stated in the budget.
As for the firefighters overtime — Mayor Russ Meyer of Nicholasville explained in detail what the cities based their decision on.
The people are complaining about the city taxes. But they are not complaining about the board of education, the library board and other taxing agencies, even when one overspent its tax money.
I have heard the reason that Winchester does not have better sit-down restaurants is because the people in Winchester are living in the 70s. That is the talk in town.
Kenny Book
City commissioner
A rich person’s choice
Dear Editor,
Next year is another presidential election year, and campaigning and debating have begun. Will the country keep the present leader or choose another?
President Obama proposed cap and trade legislation, which failed in the Senate. Now he is trying to get his way through regulations. He said cap and trade would cause electricity bills to skyrocket. This would impact the low income significantly.
Consider someone with an income of $20,000 who is paying $2,000 per year in electricity. Just doubling to $4,000 would force the person to give up 10 percent of his income.
Those with large incomes would not be so affected, but shouldn’t they? Shouldn’t President Obama pay 10 percent ($140,000) of his $1.4 million income; shouldn’t a CEO with an income of $15 million pay $1.5 million? Regulations can act as taxes, unfair taxes. How many programs and regulations will Obama want?
The Republicans are in the process of choosing their candidate. Some in the Republican Party would like to have the federal income tax replaced with a national sales tax; at least one seeking the nomination would. Texas has an 8 percent sales tax and no state income tax.
A certain income is required to survive, decently. For example, a mother with two children may need $50,000. So, if she earned that amount and spent it all on items that had the 8 percent sales tax, her state tax payment would be 8 percent. If she spent half her income on items that have an 8 percent sales tax, her state tax payment would be 4 percent. A person with an income of $1 million living abundantly on $200,000 would pay less than 1 percent in state taxes if he spent half the $200,000 to purchase items that had the 8 percent sales tax.
To go from a federal income tax to a national sales tax would shift more of the tax burden on low income people, as they spend what they earn and would spend more if they had it.
Because local, state and federal taxes are applied to goods and services, low income people become big taxpayers, by percent of income paid.
Al Brown
Winchester
Dear Editor,
I did not attack Debbie Rose in the letter to the editor. I stated the reason other cities might have lower payroll taxes — because they get the payroll taxes county-wide, not just city-wide. And the county gets its payroll taxes from city employees, not just from county employees. That is why I¿stated she did not do her homework. They are paying double payroll taxes. Is this what the employees want in Winchester?
The employers in other cities pay more occupational licenses than the employers do in Winchester.
I stated that the city cut out all out-of-state travel. But it came out that the city cut out all state travel, which was wrong.
The employees are required to have training to maintain their certifications. Not all employees use the education reimbursement, just like not all city commissioners or the mayor are in the retirement plan as stated in the budget.
As for the firefighters overtime — Mayor Russ Meyer of Nicholasville explained in detail what the cities based their decision on.
The people are complaining about the city taxes. But they are not complaining about the board of education, the library board and other taxing agencies, even when one overspent its tax money.
I have heard the reason that Winchester does not have better sit-down restaurants is because the people in Winchester are living in the 70s. That is the talk in town.
Kenny Book
City commissioner
A rich person’s choice
Dear Editor,
Next year is another presidential election year, and campaigning and debating have begun. Will the country keep the present leader or choose another?
President Obama proposed cap and trade legislation, which failed in the Senate. Now he is trying to get his way through regulations. He said cap and trade would cause electricity bills to skyrocket. This would impact the low income significantly.
Consider someone with an income of $20,000 who is paying $2,000 per year in electricity. Just doubling to $4,000 would force the person to give up 10 percent of his income.
Those with large incomes would not be so affected, but shouldn’t they? Shouldn’t President Obama pay 10 percent ($140,000) of his $1.4 million income; shouldn’t a CEO with an income of $15 million pay $1.5 million? Regulations can act as taxes, unfair taxes. How many programs and regulations will Obama want?
The Republicans are in the process of choosing their candidate. Some in the Republican Party would like to have the federal income tax replaced with a national sales tax; at least one seeking the nomination would. Texas has an 8 percent sales tax and no state income tax.
A certain income is required to survive, decently. For example, a mother with two children may need $50,000. So, if she earned that amount and spent it all on items that had the 8 percent sales tax, her state tax payment would be 8 percent. If she spent half her income on items that have an 8 percent sales tax, her state tax payment would be 4 percent. A person with an income of $1 million living abundantly on $200,000 would pay less than 1 percent in state taxes if he spent half the $200,000 to purchase items that had the 8 percent sales tax.
To go from a federal income tax to a national sales tax would shift more of the tax burden on low income people, as they spend what they earn and would spend more if they had it.
Because local, state and federal taxes are applied to goods and services, low income people become big taxpayers, by percent of income paid.
Al Brown
Winchester
