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Costs of ‘growth’
' SOME LOCAL politicians and other public figures can still be heard to argue that “growth” is desirable because it serves to “broaden the tax base” and thereby reduce the tax load required for paying for essential services.
To be sure, the argument is heard mostly in areas which have not experienced much growth. You might hear it out in the country, for example, but you won’t hear it very often in places like New Jersey, or Fairfax. (You still hear it in Prince William, but the leadership in that hapless county is apparently incapable of learning from past mistakes.)
An interesting examination of the “broadening the tax base” argument is contained in a book recently published. “The Titanic Effect, Planning for the Unthinkable,” was written by Kenneth E. F. Watt, a man trained in ecological studies who utilized his training and knowledge of computer-based analysis of biological and*social systems to conduct an examination of traditional “growth economics.”
His observations about local taxes are so pertinent to the situation facing so many areas in this part of Virginia that we thought they warranted calling to the attention of our readers. Mr. Watt’s argument follows:
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