Opinions have been heard on both sides of the drawbridge that we have great taxing opportunities that have not yet been tapped. In smoke-filled quasi-back rooms in both Annapolis and in the Maritime Republic of Eastport “experts” may have been looking into the those people who have been taking advantage of our community and not paying their fair share. Without spending time on gathering data which could only lead to thoughtful analysis, we (sounds better than I) think it is time to call these people out. It is time to name names (so to speak).
What about those walkers, runners, those on bicycles and, oh yes, all of those pushing strollers? And those with dogs? These are some of the people who use our streets and many of them use the 6th street drawbridge to consume our pavement capacity without consideration of the costs.
Opinion suggests that the time has come to change the way we do business around here. People you know, many of whom are citizens who may also be residents, are out there, sometimes in large numbers.
There may be ways to build an Omnibus Use and Enjoyment Tax to target those people and turn their activities into tax dollars.
It is time to monetize enjoyment.
In speaking to no one in particular, we have been working on expanding these concepts that could cast a much wider taxing net and, perhaps, realize substantial tax benefits without harming locals and absentee property owners who really do matter.
These opinions are coming in through the door every day. They may also appear on the world-wide internet or perhaps on coffee shop message boards. Whatever the sources, these are the opinions that matter and they need to be looked at, voiced and acted upon. This will be addressed in future posts.
eastport defined 