COUNTY ISSUES

At 88 and declining health, I perhaps have too much time to spend thinking about local and national issues.

I watch a lot of C-SPAN that films congressional and supreme court hearings.  This eliminates any reporters' spin as one hears exactly what the legislators and court participants actually say.

Concerning the local sales and use tax issue, I have this comment.  Sales tax alone will pass, but use tax should not  for the following reasons. Use tax is simply another way to say Impact Fee, and if it covered all industries, it might be legal.

But if a single industry is signaled out to be taxed, it is a form of illegal extortion as I read the supreme court decision on this issue.

If all equipment coming into the county came subject to the tax, I can’t see every piece of red, green or blue equipment coming into the county being taxed to make the tax legal.

The use tax is a development killer and I fail to see the logic in that when development can and likely create a tax base increase lasting to the next 100 years.

Kiowa county needs to quit shooting itself in the foot and start looking a lot further down the road.

Some counties give limited tax abatements to get development to come to their counties.

I like to think that I learned a little over 25 years as chairman of Kiowa County Planning & Zoning.  In the beginning, a very conservative Lowell Johnson was on P & Z and I enjoyed working with him.  When Lowell made suggestions on a policy, it usually made good logic.

Linly Stum