Lynchburg's bottomless well, soak it to em

Op Ed submitted by: Jim, a resident of Lynchburg

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The Virginia Department of Taxation has “unofficially released” Taxable Income for 2003 and Lynchburg residents have seen the first growth in per capita growth in 3 years.

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The 3.44% growth over 2002 on the surface looks good but at $11,434 per capita in 2003, it is $346 LESS than our 1999 incomes, and a whooping $6,570 LESS THAN THE STATE AVERAGE OF $18,004.

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The steady decline in our relative income standing has been dramatic. In 1990 our per capita taxable incomes were 80% of the state average. In 2003 they were 64% of the state average.

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Has the fact that Lynchburg per capita taxable incomes, are only up 2.20% in 1990 inflation adjusted dollars, kept the local government leaders from spending like we are all owners of a money tree in the back yard? Not hardly! The tax & spend boys and girls on City Council have managed to confiscate more and more of our hard earned dollars for their so called “needs and investments in the future”.

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For the same 14 year period of study, local per capita tax revenue went up, in 1990 inflation adjusted dollars, a hefty 27.24% and the catch-all category of Total Local Revenues (ie taxes plus user fees and etc.) went up 47.94% in 1990 dollars.

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Now I know you all are thinking that our taxes were too low in 1990 and we just “need to catch up to theothers”. Again, not hardly!

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In 1990-91, Lynchburg’s Tax Revenue, as a percent of our taxable income, was 9.95%, in 2003-04 it was 11.54%. But the important fact is that the state average take of local taxes went down from 8.62% to 7.84% which means the difference between Lynchburg’s per capita fleecing andthe state average went from 1.33% higher than theState average to 3.70% higher than the State Average!

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As bad as those numbers are, Total Local Revenue(don’t forget the fees) per capita, as a percent ofour Taxable Incomes is even worse. In 1990-91, Lynchburg coughed up 11.25%, in 2003-04 it was 15.43%.

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Again, the state average went down, from 10% to9.29%. Can you do the math? Lynchburg was 1.25% higher in 1990-91 in 2003-04 they were AN ASTRONOMICAL 6.14% HIGHER THAN THE STATE AVERAGE. And this doesn’tinclude the recent tax increases enacted since thesefigures were made public.

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Personal Property, vehicle decals, amusement, meals, and the ever lovingautomatic tax increase known as Real EstateReassessment, all up. Nor does it include the increases passed to us in the form of increased userfees, i.e. Ambulance, Senior programs, etc. I could almost understand the big spenders needing totake 15.43% of our incomes, a rate 6% higher than thestate average if, say we had a tremendous percentageof our population in the school system. May I say again, not hardly.

Only 12.79% of our population is being publicly educated compared to the state average of 15.63%.

Now you see why some people advocate laws which limit the growth of governmental spending to the growth in our ability to pay.