Tax increase would hurt small businesses, families
To the editor:
We spent tens of millions of dollars to bring businesses into Cape Coral and now we must do what we can to maintain an environment that is conducive to the health of our business community. The businesses are a source of employment for the residents and a source of revenue for the city. Our residents in turn work for these businesses and earn money to support their families. The local businesses community pays taxes as well. And last but not least the retired segment of the community also pay taxes. These groups keep our government afloat.
The city has for years touted bringing business here to help defray our taxes and now it appears the city is attempting to do something that will be harmful to the local small business community. These small brick and mortar businesses have enough of a problem trying to stay healthy while competing with internet stores. Our city government would be remiss if it fails to create an economic climate that is advantageous to our business community. If the businesses are healthy so will our community be healthy. I don’t believe we can afford to constrict the life line to our businesses (revenue flow) by increasing taxes and fees.
For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. That includes raising taxes, fees and creating new assessments and employing new taxes such as the public service tax. Many of our residents are already on the edge of economic ruin. Any new taxes will only serve to push them over the edge. More new taxes and rate hikes in fees will economically damage residents raising their families as well as our residents living on a fixed income. It also will adversely effect our small business community. This eventually will become apparent in the demographics and will no doubt keep new residents from coming to Cape Coral.
Our government in Cape Coral needs to take a more defensive posture. In hard economic times, we need to find ways to do more with less. Our residents and small businesses are connected at the hip, one depending on the other. If we raise taxes, fees and levy new assessments then everyone must pay the price. These payments would be disposable income that is no longer available as revenue sources to businesses. If we take more money from the residents there will be less money to spend on goods and services. If the businesses fail or cannot maintain their revenue stream then jobs are lost. When jobs are lost we add another dynamic to the economic equation. We must remember that small business make up a major piece of the employment backbone in our community.
To strangle our local businesses, in hard economic times, by reducing disposable income through taxation and increases in fees is foolish. To increase taxes and fees on our working families raising children is not helpful nor is it conducive to living in Cape Coral. When you take into consideration the economic pressure applied to the residents living on fixed income it all equates to throwing more gas on an economic fire that is already burning out of control
John Sullivan
Cape Coral Minutemen