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In the discussion of government problems in Western New York,
much attention has been given to “the Penny”, or the 1% sales tax historically
collected by the county. In the recent Erie County budget debate, much of the
gridlock surrounding the proposed sales tax increase focused on the county sharing
the new tax revenue with the 44 other governments within its borders.
To focus on the problem of sharing "the Penny" is to perfectly misunderstand
the core problem facing the people of WNY. The argument between the governments
is itself the problem.
Every household in WNY has at least two, and sometimes three, governments vying
for authority over that household. These governments perpetually argue about 1)
how much each government should be able to tax the household, and 2) which government
should provide services (snowplowing, garbage collection, park maintenance, etc.)
Many people in the historical city limits think that the two local governments
that simultaneously govern them should share this penny. Government A and
Government B are arguing about how much revenue each of them should get out of the
pocket of an individual citizen.
Don't Share the Penny... Share the Government
Every minute that a local government official spends arguing with another local
government official is a minute not spent recruiting a new company to the Buffalo
region. Any time that a local politician within Erie County argues with another
local politician is a moment of waste. That moment could be better spent recruiting
outside resources (federal funds, state funds, and outside jobs) into WNY.
With 45 elected governments within Erie County, it only takes a small issue to
divert valuable political resources into endless internal arguments.
Arnold's Trip to Japan
What was California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger doing during the recent Erie County
budget crisis? While Joel Giambra was arguing with 44 other local governments
within Erie County, Arnold was in Japan meeting with the head of Toyota Motor,
which is planning on building two new production facilities within the United
States. Toyota is also being recruited by Missouri Gov. Bob Holden and
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, and representatives from Mississippi, Alabama,
and Texas. Where are our leaders? They are arguing amongst themselves about
which one of them gets to spend The Penny out of our pocket.
Let’s not share the Penny, let’s share the government.
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