OCR Text |
Show The National Enterprise , December 8, 1976 Page twelve "CUT LOCAL TAXES is a 'do it yourself' handbook that could save the American taxpayer tens of millions of dollars." Senator William Proxmire hard-press- ed Loo Once in a while, a book appears that promises to have a direct impact on politics. Cut Local Taxes is such a book. Taxpayers across the country today are angry about rising assessments and property taxes. They have expressed their feelings by voting down bond issues and new spending proposals. Yet taxes continue to soar and citizens are looking with increasing concern for a solution to the problem. Cut Local Taxes shows that taxpayers can find relief. The author, professional consultant Robert breakPoole, Jr., has sifted through the throughs created by some communities. He highlights the best and most effective of these changes, with particular emphasis on reforms that can be by most local governments, large or small. In some cases, indeed, the savings can be startling. Medium size cities report average savings of about cost-cutti- ng a-do- pted 70 percent after switching from municipal to private contract garbage collection. Thirteen communities in Arizona enjoy a new system of quality fire protection that costs half that in nearby communities which use conventional techniques. Large economies can also be obtained in the school system and the public works department. Virtually none of the reforms described in the handbook entails a drop in the levels of services. Some actually improve the quality of services provided, by shaking the local government bureaucracy from habits. This aspect makes lethargic or the breakthroughs attractive to voters who want to preserve existing services at less cost to the taxpayer. The descriptions in this book are clearly worded and simple to understand. You do not have to have a degree in public administration to profit from Cut Local Taxes. If you are a taxpayer looking for ways to economize in local government, you will find them here. A special reference section shows where you can get additional hard facts once you have targetted an area for your efforts. And a chapter discusses the potential rewards and pitfalls of different ways ideas into public deto introduce the bate in particular, how to launch a political campaign or start a taxpayers' group. self-defeati- ng cost-cutti- If you want your local taxes to keep rising, you have only to do nothing. On the other hand, if you want to keep what you have earned and prevent your community from succumbing to fiscal ailments, you will find the ideas in this handbook most useful. They can do the work of a meat-ax- e with the precision of a scalpel. REASON PRESS Box 40105 E Santa Barbara, CA 93103 want to stop wasteful spending. Send me the Cut Local Taxes handbook. I enclose a check for: YES I ( ) ( ) ( ) $2 for single copy $1.50 per copy for two to ten $1.20 per copy for larger quantities Name Address ng CityStateZip |