Mayor's tax idea would have negative effect

To the editor:

As someone who worked in local government for 15 years, I've heard plenty of bad ideas out of the mouths of local elected officials. But I don't remember the last time I heard an idea as bad as Mayor Jay Knudtson's idea of taxing the incomes of people who work in Cape Girardeau. He'd prefer to tax just commuters -- workers who don't live in Cape Girardeau -- but he's willing to tax everyone else too if necessary.

There are two serious problems with Knudtson's plan.

First, when government taxes an activity, you get less of it, all else remaining equal. An earnings tax would very likely have a negative effect on local employment. It's hard to see how the city would benefit from that.

Second, his tax plan seems to be based on an extremely arrogant and seriously flawed notion about what commuters do while they are in town. In Knudtson's world, commuters come to town, draw their paycheck, leech off of the residents and then go home. They never stop to buy groceries after work, eat lunch at a local restaurant or shop at the mall before going home. The mayor really should get out a little more.

In short, the mayor's tax plan is a response to a problem that doesn't exist and would be likely to make things worse rather than better.

CHIP TAYLOR

Poplar Bluff, Mo.