Letters to the editor for May 28

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• Published May 28, 2008

Voters chose property taxes over an income tax

My comments are in response to Bernice Van Mechelen's recent letter to the editor that complained that property taxes are an inequitable and disproportionate application of the burden of citizenship.

While she also complains that people who pay little or no property taxes still benefit from the services funded by these taxes, she offers no alternatives. And a citizen who does not own property is not getting a free ride at the expense of property owners. Owners of rental properties also pay property taxes and renters pay for it in their rent.

One might believe that people who live in more valuable housing not only have the resources to pay the higher mortgage, but also the higher property taxes. Surely anyone who makes the choice to buy a nice (read: valuable) home knows that the package includes higher property taxes and insurance costs. If all housing owners were to be charged equally, then those who live in less valuable homes would feel they were paying an inequitable share.

So what is the solution for fair and equitable taxes? The citizens of this state have decided that property taxes are a better option than income taxes. As long as this tax structure exists, people who choose to live in nice homes will continue to pay higher property taxes. The wealthy who choose to own and live in a dump next door will pay less.

Would an income tax be more equitable?

Dave Bartruff, Olympia

Government plays role in affordable housing

It's that time of year for new beginnings, i.e. graduations and weddings. Our children are starting their new lives with careers and families.

A recent article in The Olympian, "Study: First home hard to afford," outlined the dark cloud over the primary way people begin to build their personal wealth here in Thurston County — their first home.

With first-time homebuyers earning only two-thirds of what it costs to buy a decent home, according to a WSU Center for Real Estate Research survey just released, homeownership is an impossibility. It is tough for newlyweds just starting out, new teachers, nurses, police officers and those earning less than $40,000 per year to begin building wealth.