Wulsin Wants to Go to Congress So She Can Raise Local Taxes

Does Vic Wulsin know what office she is running for? It doesn't sound like it in this Portsmouth Daily Times piece on a local tax and spend issue.

The issue is whether or not the Portsmouth City Council should go forward with an agreement to take over a building and turn it in to a City Center. A side issue, is how to pay for it:

"There are nine sources of revenue that I have listed here, but I am going to primarily look at two of them," said Portsmouth city auditor Trent Williams. "An increase in the city income tax and/or an increase in the property tax based on real value, not the assessed value."

The property tax, which the city has the authority to impose without taking the issue to voters, would cost property owners $3.06 for each $10,000 of real estate property value, Williams said.

As a sample cost, if a citizen owned a home valued at $100,000, the cost would be $107.19 per year. A home valued at $50,000 would cost the owner $53.59 in additional taxes.

Most members of City Council said they preferred the income tax because only working people would be burdened, and because people who live elsewhere but work in Portsmouth would have to bear a portion of the cost.

Williams said the proposal was for a .6-percent increase in the city income tax, which would take the tax from 1.40 percent to 2 percent of each person's gross income.

There is at least one voice of reason...

Portsmouth City Councilman Bob Mollette cautioned other members of council as well as Williams about what he said was a problem that might arise from raising the income tax.

"I happen to know that the new electrical store moved here from New Boston because of the 1.4 percent income tax, and we could hurt our chances to get business if our tax goes up," Mollette said.

...but Vic Wulsin ain't it:

"The proposed City Center development has the support of the Shawnee District Labor Council, Portsmouth Area Arts Council and many members of the business community," Wulsin said. "This is the kind of cooperative leadership I will foster and support as the representative from the 2nd Congressional District."

So, if Vic Wulsin is somehow elected to Congress, we can look forward to a Congresswoman Wulsin pushing legislation to raise local taxes in order to develop property the local communities in the district arguably don't really need for a price that the businesses and those unfortunate enough to have a job and / or property in those towns get to pay for...

No thanks...

UPDATE 1: Ben Keeler comments, "She could do well in Michigan." Heh. Zinger!