Editorials
Consider the Tax Not Mentioned
By Jim Molenari
Oct 28, 2005, 5:45am

Warrington Supervisor John Paul, who is up for re-election this year, claims in his literature, that he had reduced taxes by 25 percent since 1991. While it's true that township real estate taxes have gone down 25 percent, he neglects to mention the earned income tax which he voted to enact in 1989. The reduction in real estate taxes is due to the huge revenue generated by the earned income tax.

In 2004, this tax generated about $2.4 million, 70 percent more than the real estate tax, and is by far the township's principal revenue source. The real estate reduction that Paul claims credit for saves the average homeowner about $100 a year, whereas, the earned income tax, which he doesn't mention, costs $250 for a family earning $50,000 a year. This is a reduction?

Taxes are paid in dollars, not percentages, and the actual dollars that the average Warrington resident pays have gone up considerably since 1991.

Jim Molenari
Warrington Township

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