Not In My Backyard!

No new taxes! The political rally cry is as old as this nation itself, and it raises some particularly interesting points here in the District of Columbia. In a city where residents were actually expecting an income tax increase, the elected representatives still shied away. 

You can’t blame Council members for not wanting to pass an income tax increase, particularly on the wealthy. After all, they’re the residents with the influence and the power and the money, the very ones who help fund political campaigns. Actually, they’re also the ones who work in the government. It’s funny how that works. Let’s also not forget the age-old belief that if you vote to raise taxes, you’re a sitting duck come election time.

Vincent Orange, upon his recent election, told me he would do all he could to make sure there were no income tax increases. In the end, they all fell in line. What some may not realize is that a host of other taxes are being increased in the Kwame Brown budget. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much uproar surrounding the fact that alcohol, already expensive in the District, is going to be even more expensive under this new budget. Garage parking taxes are also going to go up. Taxes on out-of-state municipal bonds are also going up. 

The latter actually came out of left field. There were no discussions of a municipal bond tax increase during all those town hall meetings the mayor held. What D.C. residents were expecting was an income tax increase. They were warned well in advance, and in many cases, they supported it.

In some cases, groups were even pushing for a tax hike. Groups like the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless and Save Our Safety Net were chomping at the bit for a tax increase in order to stave off cuts to homeless shelters. There were demonstrations outside the Wilson Building.

Faced with the prospect of slashing funding to critical social programs, many DC residents came to the rescue. Close homeless shelters? Not in my backyard! This city is unique in that way, with so many people willing to sacrifice so that others less fortunate may have something better.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no saint. Having my income taxes raised wasn’t exactly a fun prospect. Those of us who don’t bring in anything close to 200-grand a year can understand that. Those who do bring in that kind of money can easily afford it, but once again, they’re off the hook. 

The Council could have easily gotten away with an income tax increase, but it chose otherwise. In doing so, the city’s finances were saved. Kwame Brown can claim political victory. Mayor Vincent Gray gets his first budget out of the way, and things can go back to normal. The wealthy stay wealthy. The regular folks will continue to make do. The less fortunate will continue to struggle.