Dear Editor,

Here we go again, our government is trying to take more away from us.

A few years ago, the parish raised our sales tax by 1/3 of 1 percent. The people beat this increase at the polls by a large margin, only to have the election again barely passing the tax increase. Our sales tax is now 10.49 percent, which is outrageous.

Just across the Pearl River, the tax is 7 percent. Roads are great and government is solvent. As long as we have some freedoms, then the result will be that more business will continue to exit Bogalusa.

Here we go, now they want a whopping 25-percent increase in the present property tax. More tax equals more money for the politicians. Less tax means more money for you and me. This also encourages businesses to come and flourish.

It’s no surprise that our council members and mayor are pushing this tax. They think the voting bloc of past and present employees will vote them out of office if they are brave enough to do what is best for all of Bogalusa — not just one group — and so this tax is their solution to resolve that.

I asked our mayor and each city council member if they felt responsible for the deficit in the city’s retirement fund, and each said that it was not their fault.

The money set aside for retirement was squandered. You and I are not responsible for this either.

We the people have paid for this once before. The city should have taken care of it during the many years past when their advisors recommended that they do so! Had they taken action years and years ago as advised to do, then this issue would be only a margin of what it is today and would not be the problem that it is today.

Many retirement funds have been lost in recent years. A prime example is the New Orleans Firemen. They sued the city and won.

The 25-percent tax increase is not only to private homeowners, but also to our industries and small businesses. This tax proposal burdens you and me and will stop new business from locating here. I know of a few former businesses that have already left because of high taxes.

Bogalusa needs to earn more money and needs to do it in a way that helps the citizens of Bogalusa, not hurts them.

The high taxes, barrage of permits, and useless regulations have pretty much tied the hands of our workers and entrepreneurs. Our taxes are high, our water and trash has slipped more tax on us by charging more fees for each garbage can, which are smaller since the new vendor recently took over! This is just a tiptoe, but, little by little, our liberty is being taken away.

Vote no on this large tax increase proposal.

The council recently did something that I suggested that will earn more for Bogalusa. Mayor Perrette has told me plans are in the future for some of my suggestions, and the ideas of others. I hope that we can meet with our council and mayor in the near future to institute some money-making ideas.

High tax cities and states are failing, while low tax areas are booming. We don’t need to be another Detroit or California. Let’s learn from Florida and Texas who are booming and welcoming those businesses that are fleeing high-tax areas.

Vote no for more taxes!

T. Foots Quinn

Bogalusa