Dear Editor:
Make no mistake; a reassessment increase of 9.51% is a 9.51% tax increase. Unless the rate for real estate property is adjusted to reflect the reassessment increase, your taxes are going up. This is a sneaky way for the county to have a tremendous tax windfall. If you read the fine print, microscopic print in the newspaper, the current rate and proposed rate are the same. The county has published the “Effective Tax Rate Increase,” $.045/$100 or 7.4%.
No matter how you slice it, your taxes are going up by a minimum of 7.4% to the reassessment amount of 9.51%. The county budget is increasing by 23%. (What?)
This begs the question: Why do they want more of our money? What is the pending crisis that would warrant such a huge tax increase?
The price of everything is going through the roof. The price of food, the price of building material, and the price of fuel are skyrocketing. Gasoline for your car is pushing $5 a gallon in some places. Diesel is almost there.
Are the Board of Supervisors tonedeaf? Folks are financially stressed. This is not the time for a huge increase in your reassessments.
I bring your attention to the news that Rocket Lab is coming to Wallops to build and launch rockets. That is a big deal! What is the increase in Accomack’s tax base with the construction of the Neutron rocket facility? What is the financial impact to the county? Has anyone taken that into consideration?
What about the 700-plus derelict properties? If the county wants more and new tax revenue, it should try to put derelict properties back on the tax rolls. County policy is to
take derelict structures off the tax rolls, leaving a ton of tax dollars uncollected. Go collect and put derelict properties back on the tax rolls or sell them. And while you’re at it, get off our backs. Collect what is already out there. Then talk to us about a crazy reassessment and a huge tax increase.
Ken Tucker,
Lee Mont
