Get out your wallets, for the tax man cometh.
With a healthy hike in taxes, the city is planning to increase the cost of utilities, phones, gym memberships and even using a tanning salon.
Why we have tanning salons in a place where it rarely rains is another issue altogether.
Get ready to pay more in city taxes, Arizona Daily Star
Tucsonans can look forward to a jolt from pretty much all their monthly utility bills after the City Council informally gave the go-ahead to a wide array of tax increases on Wednesday aimed at balancing a proposed $1.3 billion budget for next year.
The list includes 2 percent more on home and cell-phone bills and electric and gas bills. Water bills will go up 10 percent, garbage pickup fees 3.5 percent, and bus fares will be hiked as well.
Other new taxes include a new levy on gym memberships and tanning salons, and visitors will pay an extra $1 a night to stay in city hotels and motels. Read story: www.azstarnet.com/metro/294724
Some of these hikes – like a 10 percent increase on the water bill – are fairly steep.
This is also painful at a time when money is tight for pretty much everyone.
It’s always frustrating when we are forced to pay more for services that have not been improved or otherwise merit a higher cost.
The Beatles, Taxman:
If you drive a car,
I’ll tax the street.
If you drive to city,
I’ll tax your seat.
If you get too cold,
I’ll tax the heat.
If you take a walk,
I’ll tax your feet.
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Is raising taxes across the board an ideal way to deal with the city budget crunch?
What are other ways the city could instead generate money?