Take two more tax increases

Dear fellow tax hikers, this week has brought the wonderful news that we might be getting another two tax increases.  This is in addition to the two excellent tax increases that we profiled last month. 

First, another all-star task force has recommended that Hamilton County raise the property "fee" by $25-$86 for each parcel of land regardless of value. 

The latest plan to save Hamilton County's 911 emergency communication system would cost every homeowner and business as much as $86 a year in new property fees.

As of our blog posting time, that is how the article reads.  But because we are incredibly fair-minded tax-hiking bloggers, we will note that Auditor Dusty Rhodes states that the tax fee only applies to the 60% of the county outside of Cincinnati, Norwood, and Amberley Village. 

Next, a petition drive has been started to raise Cincinnati's Property Tax by a full mill to jack up city park spending.  Leading the charge is Mayor John Cranley, who has finally decided that we need a property tax increase after campaigning for mayor against one. 

We are proud to be the first organization to endorse both of these money grabs.  We stand behind them 100%, just like we strongly endorsed both of last month's tax increases.  The government needs that money.  You don't. 

New Entertainment Tax

Dear fellow tax hikers, some rich people will soon demand that Hamilton County raise the Sales or Property tax to fix two buildings owned by the City of Cincinnati.  Union Terminal and Music Hall want over $250 million in repairs, and it's Hamilton County's job to provide it. 

Cincinnati cannot afford to fix their own buildings.  You see, they are spending all their capital dollars on The Streetcar.  To ensure the streetcar can be built and later expanded, Hamilton County residents need to fix Cincinnati's buildings for them.

No plan for these two projects has been presented.  The costs have not been calculated.  Therefore, we proudly endorse both a Sales Tax hike AND Property Tax hike, and we urge the Commissioners to approve them without delay. 

Cincinnati, the owner of the two buildings, has offered $10 million.  Our special insiders tell us that these rich people will ask Hamilton County to provide around $200 million.  We believe it is a perfectly fair deal for the building owner to contribute $1 for every $20 that will be subsidized by county taxpayers. 

We have to understand that Cincinnati chose a streetcar over their own buildings.  That makes them Hamilton County's responsibility now.  Raise those taxes, no matter how high.

Colerain voters - pack the house Tuesday

Dear fellow tax hikers, we urge all Colerain Township residents to pack Township Chambers this Tuesday night to support a needed property tax increase for the Police Department.  Colerain Trustees are expected to choose between one of three tax increases - a 2 mil, 1.85 mil, or 1.5 mil tax hike. 

We strongly endorse the 2 mil tax increase. We need you to testify.  Tell them you are undertaxed and deserve to pay more taxes.  Urge them to select the largest tax increase on the table. 

The police need this money to continue fighting vicious crimes - such as the one we covered last week when the fuzz busted a man for posting a photograph of himself, his child and an Assault BB Gun.  Without higher taxes, the police might not have the resources to investigate such terrible crimes. 

What would happen if Colerain residents started thinking they are allowed to take these kind of pictures?  It could get even worse.  What if Colerain residents started taking photos of their kids in a dangerous car?  What about photographing children at the beach or in a dangerous swimming pool?  Or what about Colerain parents who post a picture of their kid in a dangerous elevator? 

Without higher taxes, the police might not be able to investigate such dangerous crimes or arrest the criminal parents who take these dangerous photographs.  To protect our children, we endorse a 2 mil property tax. We need all of you to pack the house Tuesday at 5:30 to make sure your Trustees raise those taxes.  

Colerain Police arrest man for BB Gun photo

 
Dear fellow tax hikers, Colerain Township has made the Drudge Report with their latest in high-tech crime fighting.  Colerain Police arrested a man for posting a facebook photo of himself, his 1 year-old child, and a BB gun - all in one photograph.  This dangerous criminal was hauled to the downtown jail and held without bond. 

Thank goodness the police were there when they were needed.  Otherwise this 1 year-old child might have overpowered his father, stolen the car, and used this Assault BB gun to shoot up Northgate Mall. 

The timing could not be more perfect.  As we reported last week, Colerain Township is seeking a new property tax increase to raise more money for their police department.  What could better demonstrate the urgency for this tax hike than learning that the police are arresting people for taking photographs with their kid and a BB gun?

Without higher taxes, the Colerain Police might not have the resources to solve vicious crimes like these.  Without higher taxes, they might have to focus their efforts on other things.  We applaud the Colerain Police Department for their fantastic work in quickly solving this terrible crime.  We hope this incident reminds everyone of the need for another property tax increase so the police can continue keeping Facebook photo-free solving important crimes against humanity. 

Colerain Township tax increase, January 25th

Dear fellow tax hikers, we urgently ask you to mobilize immediately in support of the proposed Colerain Township Property Tax increase.  The citizens of Colerain deserve to pay higher taxes, and we can help make this happen tomorrow at their 7:00 AM Friday morning special meeting.

State law requires 24 hour notice for such a special meeting (and what can be more special than raising taxes).  Colerain Township met the requirement by posting notice 24 hours and 3 minutes in advance.  This leaves us tax hikers little time to rally our forces.

The proposed resolution will raise property taxes by 2 mills.  This new revenue stream is needed to free up more money for the general fund, so that Colerain's leaders can continue to spend that money on whatever important programs they run. 

We call on all you tax hikers to pack the house tomorrow at 7:00 AM sharp!  A huge turnout will show widespread support for more taxes.  We also urge everyone to contact Colerain Township Trustees Jeff Ritter, Dennis Deters, and Melinda Rinehart before the meeting and deliver them one simple message: we demand higher property taxes!

Hamilton County's new stadium tax

Dear fellow tax hikers, get ready to pay more taxes for the stadiums.  Our Hamilton County Commissioners are deciding which tax to raise to give more money to Mike Brown and the Bengals and we think that's fantastic!  Hamilton County's #1 priority is to enrich the Bengals and we will not allow our county government to put off that task anymore.  

Commissioner Todd Portune wants to raise the Sales Tax.  Commission President Greg Hartmann wants to raise your Property Taxes.  Republicans for Higher Taxes wholeheartedly endorses both a Property Tax increase and Sales Tax increase. 

Mike Brown needs that money.  You don't.  According to Forbes, the Cincinnati Bengals earned an operating income of only $44.7 million in 2011, and that's not enough.  You should be willing to pay more taxes to ensure our beloved Bengals earn a sufficient income, and after this Wednesday's Commission meeting you will. 

This stadium deal has been a rousing success for Hamilton County, just like Bob Bedinghaus, Stadium Dave Linnenberg, and Roxanne Qualls said it would.  It made Cincinnati a "major league city", led to great economic growth, made everyone richer, cured cancer, and grew the tax base.  That we need another stadium tax increase to bail out the first one is fine with us.  It's time to give Mike Brown and Bob Bedinghaus more of our money.  Raise those Sales Taxes and Property Taxes now.

It's time for higher Hamilton County taxes

Dear fellow tax hikers, we applaud The Cincinnati Enquirer for their recent editorial gently urging the Hamilton County Commissioners to raise taxes for the common good.  We won't be gentle - we demand that the Commissioners pass at least one major tax increase on Hamilton County citizens!

County revenues are declining.  They've already been cut 25% from their peak, and they may have to trim another 10% for 2013.  That's terrible.  We can't have the government spend less, we need the citizens to spend less instead.

Our beloved Sheriff Simon Leis is warning that further cuts to the Sheriff's Department will be catastrophic.  It's the first time in weeks he's uttered that threat!  This time he really means it.

Higher taxes are also needed to bail out the massive deficits in the stadium fund.  We know, we all were told that the first stadium tax would lead to an economic boom, and the tax would be retired in 20 years.  Expectations fell a little short.  But we insist that another Stadium Tax, to bail out the first Stadium Tax, will take care of everything.....we hope. 

Sadly our Commissioners have done a terrible job on taxation in recent years.  They have said no to higher taxes for the General Fund, they said no to an Arts Sales Tax, they've refused a new Jail Tax, they said no to having Hamilton County pay for Cincinnati's Union Terminal repairs, and Portune and Monzel sold some land around Drake Hospital to pay for last year's stadium fund deficit.  We don't have a single reliable Commissioner to lean on, so we will have to work hard to give ourselves the tax increases we deserve.

Northwest School Board seeks higher taxes

Dear fellow tax hikers, we applaud the Northwest School Board for placing an impressive property tax increase on the November ballot.  On a 4-1 vote they approved a 4.95 mill tax hike which would raise taxes on the undertaxed Northwest residents by $151.59 per $100,000 of home value.  We enthusiastically endorse this necessary property tax hike. 

We strongly condemn School Board Member Dan Unger for voting against this fantastic tax.  Unger is a fiscal conservative who believes that government needs to consider the taxpayers along with the tax receivers when setting the rate of taxation.  We could not disagree more.  Anytime the government wants more money we should be willing to give them more.

We applaud liberal Northwest School Board President David Denny for supporting this tax increase and setting Unger straight.  Denny stated, "the superintendent and the treasurer you hired – have told us this is what we need to do."  Doesn't Unger know that he is supposed to obey the Superintendent and Treasurer, even though they are hired by and report to the School Board? 

Under Ohio law, the School Board is elected to set policy for their school district.  Therefore, under no circumstances should School Board members take the initiative to set policy for their school district. 

School Boards are responsible for hiring, firing, and supervising the Superintendent and Treasurer.  Thank goodness we have intelligent liberal School Board Presidents like Denny who understand that to mean they must blindly obey the Superintendent and Treasurer when they want more money.  After all, taxpayers exist to serve the government.  We expect all you Northwest School District residents to cut your budget so the School Board can increase theirs. 

More Springdale businesses close

Julie Matheny, as close as she'll ever get to a seat on City Council

Dear fellow tax hikers, we sadly report that two more businesses in Springdale have closed.  Lucy's and George's Pancake House and Family Dining, and I Buffet, are the latest to bail out of Springdale.  Some would say, who can blame them?

We happen to like Springdale.  We believe their plethora of strip malls and low-dollar housing make this fine city one of Hamilton County's gems. 

We do not believe that the high-tax polices of Springdale Mayor Doyle Webster and his daughter, Springdale Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julie Matheny, are to blame for these business closings.  Just because higher taxes increase their operating costs doesn't mean they are more likely to go out of business.  Who ever heard of higher costs being detrimental to businesses?  Our Messiah Barack Obama doesn't believe this and neither does the Royal First Family of Springdale. 

Royal Doyle Webster and Legendary Campaign Expert Matheny have indeed been supporters of higher taxes.  For example, both strongly supported this year's big Princeton School District Property Tax Increase.  The Princeton School District was already spending more money per student than 98% of school districts in Ohio, but that wasn't enough!  Our father-daughter tax hiking team knew that a 6.5 mill tax increase was needed so Princeton can spend even more. 

This Royal Doyle/Campaign Expert Matheny tax hike added $197.63 in higher property taxes per $100,000 home value, meaning that the average Springdale homeowner's property tax bill will increase another $95.  Companies have to pay this tax too.  Well, at least the ones who haven't gone out of business.

John Cranley opposes Property Tax Hike

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are enormously disappointed in former Cincinnati Councilman John Cranley.  Today Cranley has published a mean editorial opposing Roxanne Qualls' efforts to raise Cincinnati's property taxes!  Not only did Cranley condemn this important tax increase, he also criticized the streetcar project which we believe is necessary for the future of our city.

Roxanne Qualls does not deserve this criticism.  Roxanne has been a tax-hiking goddess throughout her public career.  Roxy was the leading voice for the Stadium Sales Tax increase which has done so much good for our community.  She endorsed the Sales Tax hike for Light Rail.  Roxy endorsed the 2007 Jail Tax which would have raised taxes $777 million for a $198 million jail.  Qualls has also been one of the streetcar's biggest supporters from Day 1.  She supports all the great ideas!

We are very angry at John Cranley.  Cranley and our enemy Chris Monzel were the only two Councilmen who voted against our beloved streetcar.  Cranley refused to endorse the 2007 Sales Tax hike for a big new expensive jail.  And now he is publicly criticizing a property tax increase that we already endorsed. 

We need higher property taxes, both in the city and in the county.  We stand behind Roxanne Qualls as she seeks another one of her wonderful tax hikes.  We are also serving warning to John Cranley that he better stop opposing our agenda of higher taxes and more spending.  He will find our opposition to be a steep encounter to any future candidacy. 

Rally to support Tax Hike Hartmann's Tax Hike

Dear fellow tax hikers, this Noon Tuesday at City Hall the Hamilton County Republican Party is organizing a rally to support Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Hartmann's big property tax increase for the Bengals and Reds!  Do you support higher property taxes as much as we do?  If so we want to see you there.

This tax increase is necessary.  Hamilton County's stadium fund was due to run a large deficit in 2011 and 2012.  Spending cuts are never an option.  Without higher taxes, how could we give the Bengals and Reds all the tax dollars they deserve?  Tax Hike Hartmann recognized this injustice and joined with David Pepper to raise our property taxes.  For that we are extremely grateful.

The Hamilton County Republican Party has supported this tax increase 100%.  And that is not going to change.  They know how badly we need to send more of tax dollars to Bengals Owner Mike Brown and Bengals Executive Bob Bedinghaus. 

In 2013 the stadium fund deficit gets even worse.  That will mean an even larger tax increase for all county residents.  We are working closely with Tax Hike Hartmann and the Hamilton County GOP to determine which taxes we are going to raise. 

We want all of you tax hikers to stand with us this Tuesday and show your support for higher county property taxes.  Show us that you agree with Tax Hike Hartmann and the Hamilton County GOP that funding the needs of Mike Brown and the Bengals is our county's #1 priority.  Tax us more!