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county revenues, enough to cover the cost of the public schools.
Of the remainder, about 10 percent is supplied by the personal property tax, and the balance from a miscellany of taxes and fees. Together, these funds support all of the other activities of the county. If the personal property tax is repealed, as Gilmore proposes, the effect would be to seriously impact the county’s education, public safety and other programs.
The Gilmore plan is based on unrealistic growth estimates, according to Stephen S. Fuller, a member of the Governor’s Advisory Board of Economists (AP. VirginianPilot, May 14), which will make it a budget-buster downstream.
Therefore, even if the Gilmore plan survives the constitutional challenge, its cost will explode to more than a billion dollars a year by the fifth year. And in the fine print of.the plan, there is a complex formula for restoring some of the tax cuts if the expected growth doesn’t happen.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that the Beyer plan is well thought out and poses no threat to our local tax revenues, which support our schools, public safety and many other county activities. The Gilmore plan is all smoke and mirrors — we’ll give you a tax cut; but maybe we can’t right now because of legal problems; and we may have to let the localities take all or some of its back if our growth expectations prove foolhardy.
Voters, make your choice.
LEE BIRD
97.5%