A Rose By Any Other Name

When is a tax not a tax? When it is called a chargeback fee by our County executive. Maggie Brooks, who is obviously not having a very good month of November, is proving that the people in our Congressional District made the correct choice in sending, dementia ridden, Louise Slaughter back to represent us. First it was appointing a crony to a do nothing, pay a lot position in the Water Authority that was vacant for years. Today she takes the very concept of spinning(lying) to a new level. We have to remember that she has claimed that Monroe County tax rate has remained the same, at $8.99 per $1,000 of assessed value, which in the broadest sense of the claim may be correct, in her eyes. A budget hearing was held two weeks ago and Maggie said, to reporters after that hearing, "I don't believe there are any new chargebacks".  But, in what may be the biggest snow job that this county has seen in a long time, it was revealed today that we Monroe County taxpayers are going to be hit with a new chargeback fee for snow removal.
We taxpayers have always had this included in what we pay in taxes to the County Government until this year but it took some digging by democratic legislators to uncover this new 'fee'. Your King is getting sick and tired of these new taxes that are being disguised as 'fees'. As the saying sort of goes 'A tax by any other name dost smell so sweet' and this is a new tax, no doubt about it. I do not give a rat's ass what Maggie and her cronies call it as it is more money being shelled out by we taxpayers to pay for things that we have previously paid through the regular tax levy.
Why doesn't she just come out and tell the truth that she has to raise taxes to pay for the services that we require to be provided? Waving her magic wand and changing this tax into a fee is in reality a bald faced lie. I understand that sometimes revenues have to be raised to pay for services but to try to hide it and then call it a fee is a load of shazit. While the process of adding chargebacks is permissible under state law this county is starting to take these additional fees to the limit in order for Maggie to keep her 'flat rate' property tax claim real...in her eyes.
This county is one of the highest taxed counties in the entire country and it continues to get worse despite what Maggie says. My escrow payments, which are included in my mortgage, have gone up again so it means less money in my pocket after I make that payment. These chargebacks will only make it go up even further the next time my bank recalculates my payments. Boy, I cannot wait for that. I have cut down my extraneous activities to save money to pay the bills as the only real outlet that I allow myself to have is golf. I would love to go to area sporting events but I really have to think twice before spending the money as I have to save it for Maggie and her chargebacks.
I have finished my rant. This is your one pissed off King saying good night.