Harry Richardson: County taxes could rise without vote

Regarding the Under the Dome item “McCrory: ‘Great harm’ in Senate tax plan”: The governor is correct. The proposed Senate proposal to “redistribute” sales tax revenue to poorer counties at first blush sounds admirable.

However, the “Catch 22” in this proposal is that county bureaucrats would be allowed to raise county sales tax rates without the approval of the voters of that county.

Elected bureaucrats by their nature come to office with “wants.” As California Gov. Jerry Brown said, “A want becomes a need which becomes a right which becomes a law.”

To allow bureaucrats to raise tax rates solely at their discretion is placing unwarranted trust in bureaucrats and a violation of basic voter rights.

This story was originally published March 28, 2015 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Harry Richardson: County taxes could rise without vote."