by: Diane Benjamin
In Bloomington your telecommunications tax went up in April – Thanks to Mayor Tyranny’s inability to consider cuts to any City spending – other than increases proposed by him and Hales:
UTILITY RATES AS OF APRIL 28, 2014
| UTILITY COMPONENT | CHARGE METHOD | OLD RATE | NEW RATE | STATUTORY LIMIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric | kilowatt per hour | .2777/.1366 | .4439/.2183 | .6100/.3000 |
| Natural Gas ( in State) | % of gross charges | 2.5% | 3.75% | 5.0% |
| Natural Gas ( out of State) | cents per therm | .75¢ | 1.9¢ | 5¢ |
| Telecommunications | % of gross charges | 3.5% | 6.0% | 6.0% |
| Water | % of gross charges | 2.5% | 3.75% | 5.0% |
The Federal Government and the State of Illinois are stealing more money too!
My cell phone bill now has a charge $1.09 per month for the Federal Universal Service Charge – up .29
Illinois increased their telecommunication tax – $1.63 per month – up .44
I now have $8.76 less money to spend every year. Bloomington – you have even less.
Now multiply the new taxes by the number of people receiving phone bills. $8.76 is just my cell phone, the house phone is additional.
Basic economics says if I have less money to spend, and millions of others have less money to spend, economic activity decreases (recession!). It kills the free market when less money is available for products and services people actually want. Government will spend my money for me as it see fit, chances are good it won’t be where I would spend it or see any benefit. Mostly it’s redistributing my money.
Just wait until your property taxes are raised! Bet you can’t wait. You are nothing more than government’s piggy bank, get used to it or start fighting. 5 seats of the Bloomington City Council are up for election next year. 3 of the Aldermen running voted to raise your taxes. 1 of them isn’t running again. Judy Stearns voted NO on all increases. She hasn’t announced if she’s running again.
Who is going to run on ENOUGH if ENOUGH?
(Tip: Conservative candidates WILL have resources next year)
Of course Stearns isn’t running again… she has an opponent! It’s ironic how those who preach competition in the marketplace as the solution to everything are the quickest to run at the first sight of it, wouldn’t ya say?
Seriously? She has had opponents before and she ran. You don’t believe in term limits? Maybe she is tired of fighting the potted plants!