Thursday, July 24, 2014

Indy Chamber Wants Suburbs To Pay Commuter Tax To Downtown Mafia, Tully Agrees

I've previously discussed how the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce is perhaps one of the most anti-business, anti-taxpayer chamber of commerce organizations in the entire country. This should come as no surprise since the organization has become a de facto instrumentality of Indianapolis' Mayor's Office following its merger a few years ago with Develop Indy, the city-funded nonprofit organization that's supposed to support economic development activities within Indianapolis. The organization supports one tax hike after another, most of which are devoted to supporting the endeavors of the downtown mafia, which is only concerned about subsidies for the billionaire sports team owners, the downtown convention business industry and economic development, in general, within the mile square.

The Indy Chamber currently backs raising the local income tax and eliminating the homestead property tax credit ostensibly to hire more cops. The tax increase is actually being pursued to pay for the costs of a new privatized criminal justice system to be built just outside the mile square to allow prime real estate downtown to be redeveloped by members of the downtown mafia. The Indy Chamber also supports raising the local income tax to finance a regional mass transit boondoggle at the same time it has supported the city spending tens of millions of dollars to subsidize the construction of privately-owned parking garages in downtown and Broad Ripple. Now the Indy Chamber wants the General Assembly to approve a commuter tax that would be paid by workers who reside in the surrounding counties but work within Marion County. Not surprisingly, Star political columnist Matt Tully thinks that's a swell idea:
I’ve found that having a calm discussion about the issue of a commuter tax is nearly impossible. Even the mention of one leads to immediate, angry responses from those who either hate taxes in general or, quite understandably, don’t think their income taxes should be captured by a county other than the one they call home.
A man wrote me a couple of years ago to protest the very idea of a commuter tax, which has been both discussed and stalled for decades around here, and his protest summed up the opposition well: I moved out of the city, he told me, to get away from its problems. And one of those problems, he said, was the cost of paying for the city’s many other problems.
So I come today in peace, understanding the built-in opposition about commuter taxes but hoping to raise a few questions and start a conversation. It’s an important one because the numbers make clear that something must be done to improve Marion County’s financial situation, and it is inherently unfair to have the residents of the county accept alone the cost of funding public safety officers and road paving, and so much else, when those things clearly improve the lives of suburban residents who rush in for work five days a week . . . 
Marion County has been on an unsustainable fiscal path for a long time,” said Mike Huber, president of the Indy Chamber. “I think there is a growing sense that something has to happen. And that is magnified by debates about how to put public safety funding on a longterm sustainable path.”
In recent years, because of property tax caps and other decisions by the state legislature, cities and counties have become more reliant on income tax than ever. Growing income tax revenue is crucial to counties’ future. That is intensified by the fact that the state controls sales taxes — with the exception in Indianapolis of those collected for its sports stadiums, which, of course, benefit the entire region.
The bottom line, Huber said, “is that those who are benefiting from a system should pay into a system that makes those benefits possible.” . . . 
As usual, Tully accepts the talking points of the Indy Chamber's Mike Huber, who has absolutely no experience running an actual business, without any critical analysis since that would actually require some effort on his part. Property tax caps once again take the rap for Marion County being on "an unsustainable fiscal path." Of course, diverting $120 million a year in property taxes to the TIF slush funds and passing out tens of millions of dollars in new property tax abatements each year has had no impact. Just look at the billions of dollars in public subsidies that have been poured into Indianapolis' downtown over the past several decades, and yet more and more middle and upper middle income workers choose to move outside Marion County. Why? Having sports palaces and a large, first-rate venue for out-of-state organizations to host their conventions downtown obviously isn't the panacea its promoters dish out to sustain Indianapolis so their answer is to force suburban taxpayers to subsidize more of the City's reckless, misplaced spending priorities like they're already doing for Lucas Oil Stadium. The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. If you are wasting your money on a membership in the Indy Chamber, I would highly encourage you to drop it immediately--unless you just love seeing your taxes raised for more of the same foolish spending. And Mr. Tully, some of us think it's unfair that all of these nonprofits that populate Center Township with high-paid corporate executives don't contribute a dime to support city services like the rest of us. Why aren't you talking about them contributing their fair share instead?

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I support the commuter tax for Indianapolis, and favor a new approach being considered by Washington D.C. The federal government doesn't allow Washington to have any sort of commuter tax on the suburbanites who come into the city to work each day and use city services. And a lot of industries and companies are nonprofit or government and don't pay taxes. So if you think about who is paying local taxes and who is paying for services, much of the city's potential tax base is off limits.
It is set up so that it would be simple, transparent and not increase paperwork. The $25 fee-per-employee that a business would pay would be based on information that businesses already collect. In this case, information on unemployment insurance forms. The first four employees would be free, so small businesses and small nonprofits wouldn't have to pay for it. For others, they would pay $25 per person listed on the unemployment insurance form. You either would pay it per person per name or an average of the number of people employed each month. Businesses with a lot of turnover wouldn't necessarily have to pay for three times as many people if they actually had 100 percent turnover every month.
Employees aren't paying it. Employers are paying it based on the number of employees they have -- not only on employees commuting into the city but on everyone. The fee recognizes that a lot of D.C. activity is done by nonprofits, so it applies to them as well. Hospitals would have to pay; so would large nonprofits that own property but don't pay property taxes or business taxes, such as Georgetown University.
An employee fee across the board whether you commute in or not, and whether your employer is non-profit or not, is absolutely fair, and spreads the tax across the broadest possible base. It would work in Indianapolis.

Anonymous said...

Agree completely Gary - the faster Marion County becomes a ghost town, the better off the people in the surrounding counties who work there (oops, who used to work there) will be.

Anonymous said...

Another person here who agrees with you, Gary. 1000%. Geez, I wish Scales or you would run for Mayor... Lord knows Indy could use some honesty, and reality, on the 25th Floor AND in virtually the entire chambers of the CCC.

Tully is so insignificant when it comes to clear thinking that, well, that says it all.

As for Anon 12:18: are you a Councilor or crony in favor of just about any additional fee or tax against the people? And what kind of fun are you on thinking a levy against the people would actually turn out to be "simple, transparent, and not increase paperwork"? You must be one of those "brainiacs" who still thinks that gimmicky Landlord Registry is an actual benefit instead of a grandstand ploy for attention. And as for coal, I am willing to be you drive a coal-fueled vehicle....think about it.

Anonymous said...

The idea is a failure. Just why would an affluent resident of a county that has a median family income of $95,000+ want to pay additional tax for a service that they will never use?

Picture this, as an affluent downtown Indianapolis worker you likely have frequent occasion to work late or stay downtown for business dinner, go to your suite in the taxpayer funded football stadium or go to your suite in your taxpayer funded fieldhouse. Indianapolis was not developed with a high population density, so the public transit would stop by about 7 or 8 p.m.. That means you must drive your own (luxury) car downtown to work so that you have a ride home. -or a second scenario: You take the mass transit downtown and have drunken bums accost you as you get out at the new mass transit terminal to walk to your office. You must be sure that you leave by the last bus out of town to get home, and get to wait on that bus wearing your Armani suit as a drunk bum vomits on your Burberry shoes.

Face reality, the density of our metropolitan area does NOT make mass transit an option that anyone would avail themselves of....well, except, perhaps the residents of Haughville, Brightwood, or Post RD, who may wish to take the mass transit for a good rap concert by Lil Boosie and Chief Keef.

Anonymous said...

I wrote the first comment today, the post Anon 12:18, in support of the commuter tax. Several people have weighed in with odd posts in response. First, let me say that I do not support mass transit. These commuter taxes are a way to raise money for our general fund, not to support mass transit. Nor am I a councilor, crony, someone who supports any additional fees, or someone who supports the landlord registry. And I happen to believe Indiana ought to protect its right to use cheap coal. I suspect many don’t understand the basic concept of commuter taxes. But as our Indianapolis budget becomes further strained, more and more people who work downtown move out to adjoining counties to avoid crime. They use our roads, and earn a good living in our city, but contribute less than they should. Just look at the movers and shakers who run this town, from Barnes and Thornburg lawyers to businessmen of every stripe. They make their money off the city, then go home to Carmel. The commuter tax, which is used around the world, seeks to raise a little money from those who would reap a good living off the city, then beat a hasty retreat to pay their property taxes in another county. It picks up fees from non-profits like hospitals and universities who pay no property taxes in this county yet account for more than a third of our real estate. It has nothing to do with mass transit. It picks up revenue for the county from people who choose not to live here. Ultimately it will appeal to people to who live in this county and are increasingly pressured to pay more and more. And it will be opposed by commuters who don’t live here but still use our police, roads, etc. I support it as a fair, across the board revenue raiser that will be paid by everyone instead of a few. And maybe they will stop trying to take away our homeowner’s exemptions, raise our local taxes, or impose horrible new taxes on our retirees who own rental property through that awful landlord registry they’re considering. We have to make a little money somehow. I say get the Carmel, Fishers, Avon and Greenwood commuters who work in Indianapolis, but don’t live here, to contribute more.

Pointman said...

Anon 12:18 - I understand your point but... such a per employee, per month "fee" would run any last vestige of business out of Marion county.

And while they're preparing to move they'd likely axe a few folks to get the $ back...

I know I'd pack up our 50 people in a heart beat as $1250/mo would go a long way in another county. Especially one that would give me a tax abatement to bring them 50 new jobs...

Anonymous said...

Anon 12:18 reads like a scripted advertisement for TAXing. How it made it past the captcha is a mystery.

Anonymous said...

-I can't wait to see the Carmel Mayor's reaction to the crowds from Indianapolis taking the new TAXed mass-transit to The Palladium for a Lil Boosie & Chief Keef rap concert!

I'm sure he'll sing the praises of how good it is for Carmel business.

Anonymous said...

Anon 4:46, I want to see Ballard and Carmel's Braynard singing praises of the money that come in....but don't pay for the cost of Public Safety.

Carmel would likely have to call for the National Guard if there is a Lil Boosie & Chief Keef rap concert!

Anonymous said...

Middle Class. 13 year resident of Marion County. And tomorrow I pack up my family and exit. Bigger house, lower taxes, less(almost no) crime, and a better life for my family. Mayor Ballard whining about money is akin to giving your teenager a $50 allowance and we they spend it all in 2 hours at the mall they demand more from you, all in the name of fairness.

Anonymous said...

So for the sake of discussion this new income taxed passes - does that mean that if there is a new super bowl that the players and NFL will be exempt as they were the last go-around?

Gary R. Welsh said...

Yes, the tax exemption still exists in state law.

Anonymous said...

". . . with the exception in Indianapolis of those collected for its sports stadiums, which, of course, benefit the entire region."

The biggest, and most damaging, lie in Indianapolis, which has driven us to spend more than a billion dollars on socialized sports facilities for rich owners and well-to-do fans.

I guess Ballard's new cricket stadium will benefit the entire region, also.

Larry Morris said...

This is outrageous...a staggering number of the people who work in Indianapolis already live there. The % greatly dwarfs the US average and is the highest I've seen in the census data:
http://www.towncharts.com/Indiana/Economy/Indianapolis-city-IN-Economy-data.html#Figure30