It’s All About Taxes

To the Editor:

I found two letters worth responding to, albeit on different subjects. However, upon closer examination it’s rather apparent that Anne Kennedy Gulia’s “Why Aren’t All Newtown’s Horses Taxed” and Justin Scott’s weekly tirades at the Tilson family are really about the same subject – taxes.

First, Ms Gulia’s observation regarding horse owners dodging taxes is really part of a bigger issue in Newtown. Why do property owners fail to register their personal and real property? Because they don’t have to! With little fear of our local government ever getting serious about improving their methods of identifying taxable property, they will never be caught. Ever notice how many New York, Maine, and Vermont license plates you see parked in driveways around town? Ever notice how one national building products company’s vehicles are all registered in Iowa and Oregon? I even called the tax collector’s office on that very issue – they didn’t care!

How many of your neighbors have finished a basement or put an addition on their home and failed to obtain the necessary building permits? Several years ago, when I obtained estimates for the cost of finishing my basement, over half the contractors who quoted the job suggested it would be cheaper in both the short and long run if I chose not to get the required permits. “Don’t worry, you’ll never get caught. Save yourself the hassle and the taxes!” they all said. Much to Mr Scott’s chagrin, I decided to buy a larger home. In the process of looking for a new home, one home I looked at purchasing had over 600 square feet of additional living space that was not present on the tax collector’s lot card for the property. My inquiry with the owner yielded the same response.

The reality of the situation is our tax collector’s office is both unwilling and ill equipped to do its job to the full extent required.

As for Mr Scott’s arguments against development, the fact of the matter is his calculations don’t hold water. Very few homes in Newtown actually provide a tax surplus versus their drain on town services. More specifically, only those households with no children or valued around $800,000 and up are “self-sufficient” tax-wise. That leaves us with two options – mass sterilization, which would put us in good company with China, or lots of really expensive homes.

Mr Scott should look around at his own surroundings before issuing any more comments on development. Some greedy developer cleared a piece of land to build the home you live in. Just because your home was here first doesn’t give you the right to tell other landowners what they should or shouldn’t do with their property. In fairness to all parties, the land use regulations that property owners and developers are subject to today are significantly more restrictive then they were 20 to 40 years ago.

While Newtown boasts a very high tax collection rate, the hidden tax base is significant. Unless we get serious about enforcing proper registration of personal and real property, those who play by the rules will continue to pay for those who choose not to. Perhaps we should consider offering a tax amnesty prior to implementation of a task force to increase tax compliance. It seems to me this is a “no lose” proposition for Newtown. Right after we vote to include the Board of Finance in the town charter we should make this a top priority.

Peter Sandler

4 Far Horizon Lane, Sandy Hook      August 29, 2001