Spending your money to tax you

Pacifica Tribune Letters to the Editor, 7/23/13.  "Hold onto your Wallets" by Bob Hutchinson 

"Hold onto your wallets, there's a new con game in town. The City of Pacifica has spent $30,000 of your money to run a slick campaign in order to raise your taxes yet again. The sole purpose of this sneaky UUT tax increase campaign is to convince you how great it will be to pay more of your money to the City. They even conducted a phony $20,000 poll with loaded questions so they got the answers they wanted. And this is before they've taken any meaningful steps to reduce their own waste and overspending.

And where is that money going?

Even the way this tax measure was written is deceptive. It says "WITHOUT RAISING THE CURRENT 6.5%". Well, doesn't that just sound like they don't even want to raise your taxes? Very deceptive! The fact is they want to add a 6.5% tax on all your phones which they estimate will cost you $200 more. That's $1,600 or more in extra taxes you'll pay over the life of this measure. And that's IF you believe their low ball numbers.

But the city says "we need the money and we have nowhere else to cut." Deceptive again! Little Pacifica still has over 50 department heads and managers making $100,000 to $200,000 and more in pensions and benefits. And we have an over million dollar surplus and growing.

BUT the city says "we already made big cuts to union contracts." That's deceptive too. The total city wages have actually increased over $330,000 in the past few years, according to the State Controllers website http://publicpay.ca.gov/Reports/Cities/Cities.aspx That's in spite of us supposedly laying off 50 (part-time) employees. So we obviously didn't make any real cuts. Our neighbor, the City Millbrae, just negotiated an actual 5% across the board wage reduction. That's what we need to do, too, and we also need to freeze wage & benefit increases for at least five years before we end up in bankruptcy.

Listen, I don't care what you're paying top positions in Pacifica as long as you don't come to me for more tax money to pay these high salaries or try to cut services. If you can't afford to pay that much than you need to negotiate more bigger reductions. Other cities are doing it, why can't you? I know these are your friends and co-workers but you have a much bigger obligation to the citizens not to tax them to death.

The proponents of this regressive tax are also trying to deceive voters when they tell you this tax will go to improve sidewalks, streets, fire and police response and help the poor. They are using scare tactics mostly directed at senior citizens who they think are easy to manipulate. There is nothing in this measure that says where this money must be spent. The fact is it will go in the general fund to pay increased salaries and benefits to upper management. The city made the same promises with the fire assessment tax then they turned around and cut the Fire Dept. Don't believe it.

Meanwhile thousands of Pacifica families and lower income Pacificans struggle to get by. Those are the people this tax is really going to hurt. And Pacifica businesses who will have to pay hundreds more a year. This will hurt our economy at a time we are trying to build it back up. 

Don't be fooled by this slick ad campaign they are waging (with your money). This tax measure is bad for business, bad for people and bad for Pacifica. Tell them where to stick this tax and to live within their means before they try to take more of your money." 

Note:  Graphic from Los Angeles Times/Books, "Money Walks".

Submitted by Bob Hutchinson 

Posted by Kathy Meeh