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<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> On Sun, 20 May 2007 22:27:33 -0400, Alan Thompson and Sarah Wayland wrote:</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> >But first, let's set the record straight: ... the tax hike is not 27%, at least not for most people. </FONT></div>
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<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT><div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> The proposed tax rate generates 27% more revenue than last year.</FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> I see no way to call that anything other than a 27% tax hike.</FONT></div>
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<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT><div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Individual tax bills will vary, if you are one of the lucky ones, </FONT></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> you pay only 18% more.</FONT></div>
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<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT><div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Ouch. An 18% hike in a single year is a huge increase.</FONT></div>
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<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT><div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Even if you remove the part of the increase that is for "infrastructure </FONT><br></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> improvements", there is still a 15% increase in taxes. **</FONT><br></div>
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<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT><div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> The public budget hearing is this evening - Monday night, May 21, </FONT><br></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> 7:30 pm, Town Hall. </FONT><br></div>
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<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT><div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> Rob Oppenheim</FONT><br></div>
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<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> </FONT><div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> ** In this hypothetical case the rate goes down 2.5% but the average </FONT><br></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> tax bill still goes up a whopping 15% because assessments went up</FONT><br></div>
<div><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3> so much.</FONT><br></div>
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