Because so many political maneuvers are based on hypocrisy, most people don’t see the irony in multi-millionaire Rex Sinquefield fighting against taxes.
In fairness, I understand people wanting to fight for every bit of their paycheck but support for a guy who could buy and sell so many members of the grumbling middle-class just doesn’t make sense.
Nevertheless, Kansas City Proper is in the midst of a “Do Or Die” fight to save the E-Tax that has armchair newswatchers rooting for this town’s demise, unwittingly and otherwise. For better or worse, there
Mike
Maybe the suburbanites think that KC has received enough of other peoples money and should stand or fall on their own money. The problem with all communosocial city plans is that they are only useful as long as there is a supply of other peoples money to keep them going. My credit card is maxed, use yours.
JAM
Tony if you would do some research, you’d find out that the repeal of the tax is a personal grudge against the tax in STL by a multi-millionaire.
He simply doesn’t want to pay the tax — so he enlisted others to get the repeal on the ballot.
If you google Rex Sinquefield’s name you’ll find out all kinds of info.
It’s not always about hate Tony — it’s usually about greed. All people have greed. It has nothing to do with economic status or skin color.
smartman
The e-tax is Taxation Without Representation.
tacitus
Tony – I’ve read your blog for quite a long time now. This is honestly one of your better posts ever (excepting leaks of big stories).
I owe you a beer sometime.
Zack
Kansas City is run by democrats for democrats while working every avenue to confiscate outsiders’ money. Missing pianos, phantom employees, failed schools are the hallmark of a corrupt city.
Somehow Tony blames the people with the means to move out when the real blame lay with the people who continually vote to keep the political plantation in operation.
Steve
Pretty much nailed it square on the proverbial head. City Halls lethargic and bungling responses to the problems we face is bad enough as it is. It’s beyond pathetic at this point.
Midtown Joe
Every time I buy goods outside KCMO’s borders I get taxed without representation. What am I getting for it? I drove on some other town’s roads to get there. While there, I was under the protection of their emergency services. I may even have drunk some of their municipal water.
smartman
Midtown Joe: At least you had a choice on where to spend your money and nobody made you do it. The e-tax doesn’t give you that option does it?
It’s also a bit of a stretch to compare sales tax(es) with the KCMO e-tax.
Get back to me when they start collecting the e-tax on welfare checks and food stamps. It’s only 1% no big deal? Right?
Anybody know if the e-tax is collected from the athletes, entertainers and their entourages that play and perform here? Did Sarah Palin pay her e-tax for her recent speaking engagement in KC?
Greg Gagne
I say get rid of it. If KC proper can live without the money of suburbanites, then to hell with them.
The e-tax is the reason why suburbanites either don’t work, or hate working in KCMO.
I use to work in south kc and saw a good chunk of my check go because of this tax. I would be OK with the tax if I got what I paid for. In the winter the roads are horrible, I guess the e-tax doesn’t pay to get rid of the show.
I guess the tax also pay for proper roads peroid.
If KCMO can’t live without the e-tax then it can’t live.
downtowner
A lot of people see the e-tax as a job killing tax. Nevermind all the affluent people it’s chased out of KC proper. KC has actually had a net loss of jobs the past 2 decades. Only other two cities in the metro to pull that off were Raytown and Grandview. That’s some really illustrious company. KC needs job growth and charging people the highest income tax in the metro hasn’t worked. Going on 4 decades now, JoCo has been able to run circles around KC when it comes to attracting and growing jobs and population.
At the end of the day, it’s KC’s choice on whether or not to keep the tax. If KC residents like it, they’ll be able to vote for it. The November election is a bunch of hand-wringing over nothing because it has 0 effect on the city. Now come April, they may need to sweat because I think it’s probably a 50/50 vote.
KC has room to restructure it’s finances from having people pay for their own trash pickup to pension reform. They’ll have to make some choices and obviously raise taxes and revenues other ways.