How stupid do Speaker Mattiello and Governor Raimondo think we are? Pretty stupid, with no evidence to the contrary.
The only way to eliminate car taxes is for each city and town to reduce its budget by the amount it currently charges its residents. Anything else is smoke-and-mirrors cost shifting – which is exactly how we got here in the first place. Apparently no one remembers – especially not in the Speaker’s district in Cranston.
The consequence of state subsidies of car taxes was more municipal spending. Local pols quickly realized if they inflated the values of jalopies and jeeps, the state would pay more. The state didn’t complain about over-valued vehicles, and we taxpayers didn’t complain because, well, we weren’t paying those inflated values. Until we did.
When state funding was cut and municipalities were left with bloated budgets and no more state welfare, towns turned to their only real source of revenue: us - and our tax bills skyrocketed.
And we failed to make our local leaders accountable in any effective way since. Instead, here we are, clamoring for state officials to do it all again.
There is no magic source of state funding that will eliminate the car tax. For that, urge your mayor or town administrator to cut the municipal budget. It’s that easy – and that hard.
Taxation is theft. It doesn’t matter if the town pilfers it from your left side pocket or the state confiscates it from your back pocket. It’s all your money.
