Migration of the Tax Donkeys

A great migration of Tax Donkeys is underway.Charles Hugh Smith  Georgetown has been the recipient of many migrants over the last several years to escape many of the burdens described below. Unfortunately, some also bring their values and principles that are inconsistent with personal liberty and freedom.

"Not everyone can move. Many people find it essentially impossible to move due to family roots and obligations, poverty, secure employment, kids in school, and numerous other compelling reasons.

However, some people are able to move--typically the self-employed independent types who can no longer afford (or tolerate) anti-small-business, high-tax municipalities and their smug elitist leadership that's more into virtue-signaling than creating jobs and a small-biz conducive ecosystem. (Giving lip-service to small-biz doesn't count.)

Dear local leadership: here's the formula for long-term success: welcome talent from everywhere in the U.S. and the world; make it cheap and quick to open a business, and cheap to operate that business; make public spaces free, safe and well-maintained; insist on a transparent, responsive government obsessed with serving the public as frugally as possible; support a political class drawn from people with real-world enterprise experience, not professional politicos, lobbyists, etc., and treat incoming capital well--not just financial capital but intellectual, social and human capital. Focus on building collaboration between education and enterprise--foster apprenticeships not just in the trades but in every field of endeavor."

Georgetown is a great place to live and raise a family, but, citizens must be continually on guard to prevent implementation of policies and ordinances that stifle growth and impose excessive burdens on citizens - like property taxes.

As more and more people demand government services over and beyond the traditional city government services of public safety, good roads, efficient and low cost water, sewer, trash and electric service, and thus government tends to grow and require more funding through taxes and fees. Government also tends to impose more regulations on all citizens in order to satisfy a few.

Be engaged with your city government and demand the smallest government and budget consistent with providing the core government services.