Quote:
Originally Posted by MIskra
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In the long term, it will be impossible to shift the tax burden away from residential property owners if anti-business fees keep businesses from investing here.
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Anti-business fees? That's an interesting way to characterize the additional cost that a new structure (home, restaurant, warehouse) has on the infrastructure.
Let's remember that the current fee are actually a 60% discount off the actual cost. "Raising" the fees is actually just doing away with a benefit that new development currently receives.
If Publix had a 60% off sale they would go out of business. In Sumter county they simply passed that on to the homeowners.
When my introductory offer ends with Xfinity I don't accuse them of raising prices, I accept that I was getting a break for the first year of service. And yes, I might decide that their regular price is too expensive and move my business elsewhere.
On the idea that businesses will move elsewhere: Yes, that's possible, but turning your back on 100,000+ customers isn't going to be easy. And if "elsewhere" is over to the neighboring county where impact fees are so much less then I guess I'll have to use the car rather than the golf cart.
(I am not unsympathetic to commercial establishments - the impact fees for those appear to be very high at the 40% level and would be exorbitant at the 100% level. There must be some reasonable comprise)