What’s good for The Sun is good for Baltimore

My understanding of strategic fiscal plans has always been that they’re a three- to five- year process. So six years seems to be a decent amount of time to implement this plan.

Reducing property taxes in Baltimore in essence reduces costs in many other areas of city life. For example, property owners can charge less to renters, and retail stores — including food markets — can also be more competitive with their competition in the county. If they pay less in property taxes those fixed savings can be shared with customers.

Local politicians in Charm City have known for decades the importance of competitive property taxes. If you think I’m wrong, then why do our leaders continue to give property tax breaks to new investors? Why? Because they know without a competitive tax rate it’s likely the developers will go elsewhere.

And thus, going elsewhere is what so many potential city property buyers do — young and old.

With competitive property taxation values, city property values will increase and with the increase in value, the property tax totals will increase. Eventually the overall population in the city will increase allowing the city to keep its property tax coffers level — i.e. more property owners paying less taxes can conceivably equal today’s lesser population paying a higher tax rate.

It’s a very simple concept. The Sun uses this same theory, doesn’t it? You are constantly lowering your subscription prices to your NEW readers in order to get more readers — thus increasing the levels you can charge your advertisers.

If it’s good for your business, why can’t it work for Baltimore? I think it can and that’s why I signed the petition.

— Mac Kennedy, Baltimore