LETTER: Income tax would drive people out

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When introduced in 1913, income taxes were filed by just 2 percent of households, with no tax on income under $72,600 (in 2016 dollars) and moderate 1 percent to 7 percent rates.

Five years after this foot-in-the-door, 20 percent of households filed on income above $24,200 with 77 percent top rate.

Proponents of taxing only “affluent” Port Townsend earners are fooling themselves and others to think any income tax would not quickly affect all residents.

Federal income tax has hardly been a “fairness” panacea: robber barons and real estate moguls routinely avoid taxes, while middle-class wage earners and entrepreneurs are easy pickings.

Income taxes safeguard old wealth while penalizing wealth creation and productive activity.

Any PT-only income tax would just push business out of town, hurting our local economy.

This misdirected effort to increase “equitable taxation” saddens me.

Our state has done all right not having this tax as part of our unique tapestry. It’s cool Oregon doesn’t have sales tax, Washington doesn’t have income tax, Arizona doesn’t have daylight saving time ... let 50 flowers bloom.

STEPHEN SCHUMACHER

Port Townsend