Tax cuts needed

Published in the April 5, 2012 edition of the Detroit News.

Mayor Bing and most of our city's elected leaders appear clueless about how to move the city forward once the current financial crisis is past. Fortunately, the soon-to-be-implemented council by districts structure will result in new employment opportunities for many of the current City Council members, employment opportunities that don't include the city of Detroit. Only then will our city government begin to be accountable. Yes, basic city services are severely lacking. Yet, many of us choose to move to Detroit (in my case, from Los Angeles), or to stay. Not for city services, but in spite of the lack of city services.
To encourage growth Detroit needs to remove the financial disincentives that discourage people from living and investing in our city. Major disincentives include the city's income tax, property tax rates, and automobile insurance rates that penalize city residents. Detroit should embark upon a five-year, step-by-step reduction of the income tax. At the end of five years, the tax would be eliminated. Additionally, the property tax should be pegged to the median of the tri-county area. This would help to make Detroit housing more attractive.
Thomas E. Page, Detroit