Monday, Feb. 15, 2021

This letter was written in response to city council’s Feb. 9 discussion about a possible sales tax extension to pay for $307 million in unfunded capital projects.

Why, oh, why was there no discussion of property tax? Sales tax is typically a regressive tax that hurts low-income residents more than higher-income earners.

Monster homes give a good clue as to the wealth of the owner. There should be a progressive tax increase that is higher for large homes.

I live in an 1,100-square-foot house and pay about $3,000 in property tax annually. When I lived in a trailer, it was taxed like a vehicle. I think that property taxes need to be increased and used to pay the debt of unfunded projects.

The rich need to take a much, much, higher responsibility for all the debt and unfunded projects. So even with the tax extension, no matter how long, it will be insufficient, and sales tax is soooo unpredictable. Property tax is much more predictable.

— Patrick Murphy is a resident of Boulder and former organizer of End the Muni.

Editor’s note: Links to supporting source materials were added in the editing process.

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Budget Opinion Boulder budget city council city of Boulder editor equity letter opinion property tax sales tax taxes