In response to Mr. Morse's "Car-Tax Train Wreck..." I believe that the car tax isn't the root of the problem, but definitely plays a major role in the tax problem faced by Virginians. The reduction of the personal property tax on cars is a definite relief to the middle and lower class, but I feel that it is a burden on upper-class citizens. Although the tax on cars has decreased, the money that was lost from the reduction doesn't come from thin-air; it is taken from "education, transportation, conservation, mental health, elderly care, you name it."
The root of the tax problem I believe lies with the taxpayers. The taxpayers have been deceived to think that because they are getting all these tax-cuts they are going to be paying less money. I don't think that the lawmakers can be blamed for the problem because they are presenting the public with the facts, but the public isn't looking at all the facts; they are only looking at what they want to see. I believe that if people actually read the entire story behind car tax reduction, they would realize that it isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Virginians vote politicians into office who make claims to do things that aren't always what they seem. I see this as the beginning of the entire problem. When people allow politicians to make laws that take money from "education, transportation", and other necessities. Myself being right out of high school, I can say first-hand that I felt the drawbacks of education spending; our school had to use old sports equipment and books, and the classes were overcrowded.
The way I feel about the entire car tax situation is that if money is going to be taken from somewhere, don't make it from a more important source. What is more important, two hundred dollars, or your child's education?
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