Letter: Want to raise revenue? Tax real estate sales

Posted 6/23/18

To the editor:

It may be time for the Town Council to look at an idea outside the box regarding taxes as a way to increase the revenue without raising taxes. 

Since our educational system …

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Letter: Want to raise revenue? Tax real estate sales

Posted

To the editor:

It may be time for the Town Council to look at an idea outside the box regarding taxes as a way to increase the revenue without raising taxes. 

Since our educational system has created an influx in house sales to Barrington, this is an area that has the potential for increasing revenue without raising taxes. The complaint by many people with long standing residency in Barrington have felt that the outstanding school system brings in families wanting to tap into the educational system and then leave after their children graduate. That leaves us with the bills for a new school; other bonds and funding for the late start all to be covered by tax increases. 

The council should move forward on a tax plan that taxes real estate sales. 

People who purchase a home for $1 million or more could well afford a five-tenths of a percent tax on the sale price and homes selling under $1 million would be taxed one tenth of a percent of the sale price. 

This could bring in needed revenue to meet the of challenges of funding educational concerns. 

It is always disappointing when the superintendent of schools threatens the taxpayer with the necessity to eliminate sports and other programs when a taxpayer feels that their budget is over-the-top and has made a motion to cut funding in the school budget. 

In addition, the school committee should put forth a report to the public on the conditions of our other schools in our system that need to be upgraded along with a time-line for such repairs. We shouldn’t be waiting to hear "oh yes, by the way, the roof is leaking or the air quality is poor."

This would be a bold move by the council and would probably create some unhappiness for some people.  However, such a move would take the pressure off the low and middle-income people’s tax bills.

John Taylor

Barrington

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