Non-Resident Workers Think City Tax Increase Unfair
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Columbus Tax Increase
A majority of local income taxes are paid for by employees who don't live in Columbus, though.COLUMBUS, Ohio—City of Columbus voters will decide in August whether to approve a 0.5 percent hike on the existing 2 percent income tax.
It would be the city’s first tax increase in 27 years.
A majority of local income taxes are paid for by employees who don’t live in Columbus, though.
NBC 4’s Ana Jackson GOT ANOTHER VIEW on the issue.
Molly Stone works in Columbus but lives outside the city limits in West Jefferson.
She won’t have a vote on the proposed income-tax increase.
“I think folks could really take a look at their spending habits. It bothers me that now I’m going to have to pay more taxes to Columbus when I pay taxes here in West Jeff,“ she said.
West Jefferson residents have to pay a 1 percent income tax to the village in addition to the Columbus income tax.
Peggy Greenwood lives in West Jefferspm and has worked in Columbus for the past 20 years.
She said she thinks an increase would be unfair.
“I don’t think I should have to pay 2 percent in there. I don’t even live in Columbus, but I do live here, and I should help out my community by paying 1 percent,“ Greenwood said.
“We know it’s tough, but the consequences of not achieving the tax will be devastating for our community,“ Mayor Michael Coleman said Monday.
Services such as police, fire and trash collection are on the line—services from which Coleman said the 53 percent of out-of-towners who pay city income taxes benefit.
“I’m at work eight hours a day. Maybe in one way I do benefit from it because I am working there, but I don’t benefit from it here where I live,“ Greenwood said.
The .05 percent increase would equal to $50 dollars more for every $10,000 earned.
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Reader Reactions
More taxes?Are you kiddingWhy is the Mayor Making dividers on the roads in my hood.Waste of money,should have put that project off untill better times.Hey they have to replace several tree’s that have been run over already.I am on a sinking ship, cannot afford any more taxes.
I have an Idea for all of you who live in Columbus you can pay a 2.5% income tax and for us who live outside the city but work in the city can pay 1/2% that would be fair for us but we know that’s not going to happen. But that way if we need to use you ever so great city services we would have paid a fair amount??? Look say it for what it is , The city taxes us because we make more money that most city of Columbus residents period. Look at the per capita income levels of the burbs to the city.
I for one am looking for a lawyer to look at this for us the cbus non residents
and get either, the right to vote in this or tell Coleman to stuff it,
Say no to taxation without representation! I agree with Iraweiss!
Anyone who paid taxes to the City of Columbus in the past year should be automatically registered and able to vote on this issue!
Wontu, you’re clueless. We already pay for police and other services to the communities where we live in addition to Columbus. What we object is having our pay checks forcibly raided by the city of Columbus to subsidize others’ services while not even getting a vote on the city issues. But, go ahead and put up toll booths and enact other fees and turn the rest of this idiotically run city into the Bottoms.
Wow, WonTu, now you opened a can of worms…and I also pay income tax in the city where I live…..it can be a two way street -
So, does it really sound better every time you read it?????? HA!
I do work in Columbus, and technically live in Columbus. I live in one of those fun things called an annex. It means the City of Columbus bought the land from, in my case, Canal Winchester but could care less about it. Our roads are a disaster. Police? Who are they? I have no problem paying for my own trash pick up. Maybe if we have to pay for it then the trash men or women won’t be able to leave it all over the street. It’s gross. If trash falls out of your stupid little can the trash men do not have to get out and pick it up. If I do have to end up paying for trash then there is no way that the city should limit the amount I’m allowed to put out ever week. The Mayor is a joke, but we’ll never get rid of him. The media kisses his behind, and never says a bad word about him. He is corrupt and is wasting all of our money on a daily basis. 3 cars, a security team, and countless “yes men”. Millions of dollars wasted by Mayor Coleman, but he thinks it’s necessary to raise taxes. REALLY? The media doesn’t see this as a problem. I think it’s a joke that people that do not live in Columbus have to pay taxes. I agree, I do remember some kind of tea party and maybe a war about this issue. I guess our lawmakers need a little history refresher. VOTE NO FOR THE TAX INCREASE!!
I have an idea for those who live outside of the city but work in the city and do not like to paying the city tax. They would be exempt from the city tax but would not enjoy any of our benefits. If they would need police or fire protection, they would have to pay for the service prior to the rendering of said service. The same would apply to other services now taken for granted by these outsiders. We could set-up toll booths at city exits that would allow residents free access but make the out-of-towners pay to use our streets. The sky’s the limit on user fees for the non-taxed resident. If we planned it right, the city resident would pay no taxes and have our services totally paid for by the out-of-towners. Sounds better every time I read it.
I think this tax hike is a bad idea. These increases will never stop. The government should learn to control spending. And why do they always threaten to take away Police, fire and trash serices first. There are 100’s of other ways to save our city money. How about reducing the number of judges, how about reducing the number of representatives in our local government (and cut their pay), stop hiring aids for the polititians, issue more fines instead of taking people to jail, stop sending our reps on trips that WE the people have to pay for and stop buying new cop cars. I see the cops driving around with new cars and high tech equipment, we can’t afford that right now. There are many things that could be done, Everytime the city gets into a crunch the first thing that pops up is raising taxes. Getting very old
This is a statewide problem not a local one. As long as the legislature allows taxing by a municipality based on work location without allowing those workers to vote for or against the tax it is taxation without representation pure and simple. Where’s the tea party about this problem?
I get basically the same level of service from the city of Columbus as any semi driving straight through the city yet I have to pay. On top of that I have to pay high rates for my own water and trash service at home so why can’t the people of Columbus? This tax increase is just a way for Coleman to build up funds to put in his pointless street car and rail line.
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