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As a life-long Mainer who has had the privilege of living, working, owning properties in many states as well as provinces of Canada — thereby paying and witnessing the evolution of the building property tax crisis — it has become obvious to me that relying on property tax systems to fund our various local infrastructures is no longer viable. We are far overdue for a paradigm shift to a taxing system that is more fair and equitable than a property tax system that is prone to the whims of real estate markets that are no longer tethered to anything close to what local people earn, or real net worth.
Not only has this led to the angst that BDN reporter Daniel O’Connor writes about, but the real tragedy of reduced quality of our school system, our ability to function from our shrinking working waterfronts, and fixed-income elders being forced from their homes. It is time to think “outside the box” on this issue.
Is it time to shift to an equitable sales or income tax system to better address these problems? Not being an economist, I don’t have an answer, but we need some brilliant “blue sky” thinkers to help us out of this property tax “death spiral” we are in.
Dave Dow
Perry
