Editor,
The citizens of Aberdeen are being double-taxed.
Editor:
In response to Ms. McNamara’s
criticism of the TEA Party movement
and Ms. O’Shea’s challenge to the value
of Homestead Tax Credit Amendment
that passed the County Council and will
be signed by County Executive Craig on
July 16:
Since when is “Support the
Constitution” a partisan message? Does
this really make you think of Republican
vs. Democrat? If it does, then there is a
serious problem in politics.
The Constitution, along with
the Declaration of Independence,
forms the backbone of our system of
government. This Constitution is meant
to defend the God-given liberties granted
to all citizens. This message should be
shouted from the hills of Darlington and
talked about at dinner tables across this
great County.
The TEA (Taxed Enough Already)
Party movement is a genuine grassroots
effort with no central organization and no
political party affiliation. Trust me: the
TEA Party Participants are as displeased
with the Republican’s deficit spending
as they are with Democrats’. Our ideals
support a smaller government that
follows the Constitution, supported by
fairer taxes. I reiterate this point very
frequently: We have no problem paying
taxes but we want them to be fair and
sustainable. In Harford County, the
budget has exploded since 2005, growing
45 percent, while the population has
grown only 1.4 percent. Nine percent
increases year after year are unfair and
unsustainable — this idea that led to
the Homestead Tax Credit Amendment
that will save the median household in
Harford County approximately $10,000
over the next decade and lead to an $850
million cumulative savings.
There is still a lot to do before we
can declare victory. The Maryland State
Property Assessment system needs to be
reformed and the Harford County Tax
rate is still the third highest in the State
behind only Baltimore City and County,
respectively.
In passing the Amendment, the County
Council and County Executive have taken
a good step towards keeping Harford
County competitive and affordable for
families. Thank you to the TEA Partiers
that brought this issue to the front of
people’s minds.
Patrick McGrady
Aberdeen Resident and Tea Party
Organizer
On Tuesday, July 14, 2009 starting at 6PM, 200 concerned citizens paced up and down Route 22 and Bond Street at the County Council Chambers to provide support for the Harford County Council’s decision to Amend the Homestead Tax Credit. The active citizens waved signs and showed unity as they fought for the future of Harford County!
The Homestead Tax Credit limits the amount that the property taxes for an owner-occupied home can increase annually. Before the meeting the rate stood at 9%, meaning that the property taxes could increase no more than 9% per year. At that rate, your taxes due to the tax collector would double every 8 years. The purpose of the Amendment was to limit the increase to 5% per year, under which it would take 14 years to double.
At 7:00PM, public comment was started and about 25 people gave their input on the issue. Opinions reached from sustainability concerns to government bloat in general. All public opinion speakers were in support of the Amendment.
The Amendment was passed with a unanimous 7-0 vote! The savings to the median household will be approximately $10,000 over the next decade, and $850 Million cumulatively. However, this still means that your taxes can increase 5% per year. While this is a large step in the right direction there are other issues that need our attention now.
The Maryland State Property Assessment system needs reform and we will be working on this in the future. The Harford County tax rate is still the third highest in Maryland, behind only Baltimore City and Baltimore County.
Thank you to everyone who has decided to become active in government recently. If we protest loud enough, we can make a difference!
The County Council is planning to vote on the Homestead Tax Credit Amendment this Tuesday after our 6pm rally at the Council Chambers. I have done some calculations to see the impact of this amendment.
I extrapolated future tax payments from citizens and businesses for the next 10 years growing at the current 9% and I compared it to the 5% rate proposed by the amendment.
The result is a $10M savings next year, $21M the next year, $35M the next year and in 2020, the cumulative savings will be close to $855 Million. Wow!
That is another $855,000,000 (eight hundred fifty million dollars) in the pockets of Harford County residents over the next decade.
It is very important that you join us as we rally to support the decision to pass this amendment on Tuesday July 14 at 6pm. If you can't make it, please visit our website and send a message to the council at the following link: Contact Council.
To see my work on the numbers, please try this link: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=t3Qh9cKWoXcmvs_tNvYV7Lg
Or the attached files below.
Contact me with questions or corrections!
See you Tuesday evening!
Join us for a rally on July 14 at 6:00 at the County Council Chambers (across from Looney's Pub in Bel Air) to help the Council decide to vote to amend the Homestead Tax Credit in Harford County. This will mean that the taxes due for each owner-occupied home in Harford County will no longer increase a maximum of 9% annually, but will instead only be allowed to increase 5% per year!
Read on for more information.
On July 4, 2009, approximately 550 people assembled to celebrate their freedoms and discussed ways to get the United States back on the track to prosperity and greatness!
I just encountered this Blog post by former MD Governor Ehrlich regarding the winners and losers from the latest legislative session in Maryland. Rather frustrating.
Click 'read more' to see the content of the blog post.
In case you haven't heard, the Harford County Public Library Fallston Branch is closing as of July 1 because of a decision by the director of the HCPL system.
Click "read more" to read the rest of the post.
