even in th is country, where taxes are currently not high enough to pay for what we buy, i often feel frustrated in the choices that are made in this city reguarding taxing and business. i want us to find a way to create an equal chance for the future of cleveland citizens, instead of catering to corporations in many ways, including breaks that are detrimental to us, and we need to take a stand.
the community that lives within cleveland, however, consists of struggling neighborhoods, failing schools, and urban abondonment as not just citizens, but also local businesses (including my own family's) move out to the suburbs, taking their jobs and tax revenue with them...
i feel like, our politicians are always building some kind of center around here, saying that it will boost the city and her citizens, but in the past fifteen years weve gotten the rock and roll hall of fame, gund arena, jacobs field (and yes, i know we payed for that with a sin tax-which also highly affected lower income people, but its the same idea)...and while all these places are nice, they have mostly brought minimum wage jobs replacing inionized factory work, and lets face it, that does little to raise the living conditions for residents living with the continuing downward slide of cleveland
from care2petition (thanks jeff)
Without asking voter approval, the Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners appears poised to approve a 0.25% increase to the existing 7.5% sales tax in Cuyahoga County, whose citizens already endure the highest sales taxes in Ohio, while at the same time, has some of the poorest and over-burdened residents in the nation. In the proposal, the purpose of this increase is to build a new Convention Center and to attract Medical Mart to the community in an unproven effort to generate revenue for Cuyahoga County. The Convention Center and its funding have been controversial from the beginning with the public, and this is just a way for the Commissioners to circumvent voter approval. Additionally, other communities around the country, including nearby communities in Ohio (Columbus, Cincinnati) and in Pittsburgh, have required private contributions from companies who stand to benefit from publicly funded construction (examples: sports stadiums and Pittsburgh's arena/casino plan). Those who will benefit most are not the citizens funding the construction through the tax. As usual, it will be a small number of corporations who benefit. Instead of exacting the entire burden of the project on the public with an increase in the sales tax, we are asking the Commissioners to look at other possibilities for Convention Center funding, including asking those who will profit most from the Convention Center (Forest City, Medical Mart) to contribute private money OR put the sales tax proposal to a public vote.
Song of the day:
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