Tax

Did you know that your legislator doesn't have to be “on the record” when he or she votes for a spending bill?  That's right, there's no way to track how your representative voted on raising or spending your taxes. I've been covering politics here in the Bluegrass State for more than five years, and even I wasn't aware of this complete lack of accountability. Apparently, the speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives can use the “voice” vote procedure for spending bills rather than a “roll call” vote.

Many Americans felt and still feel that this new Obamacare deal is unconstitutional, abominable. But the Supreme Court declared the Obominable care law constitutional. The justices didn't say it was not abominable. The chief justice simply rolled his eyes as he made the announcement.  Chief Justice Roberts said in his closing remarks that since the law constitutes a tax it is constitutional according to the U.S. Constitution, or something like that. Obama's administration used Chicago-style politics to try to defame the chief justice should he decide the law was unconstitutional.  Perhaps Roberts did decide to play politics, but in a clever manner.

Residents of northwest Jessamine County have filed a lawsuit alleging misappropriation of funds by the fire district and seeking refunds of taxes they say were unconstitutional. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Jessamine Circuit Court, references an examination by the state auditor’s office last year that concluded the Jessamine County Fire District had used funds intended for a subdistrict to make purchases for the district as a whole and that the district had not kept separate records for the district and subdistrict accounts.

I heard over the Frankfort grapevine that the General Assembly, or some of those fat-cat Democrats, want to pass a law of taxing restaurants in order for someone or other to have a better quality of life. Well, I sure do need some improvement for myself, like a better automobile or more expensive house or a new wardrobe. Will it improve the water quality we folks in Junction receive from Danville? Who will receive a better quality of life if the three-cent tax is made or passed into life?

Dear Editor, Census: 1 in 7 Americans live in poverty. This is the headline of the most recent census. We are at a difficult juncture in our country. Can we continue to sit idly by and watch 1 in 7 families live in misery while the upper 1 percent continue to experience substantial financial growth? Is it asking too much for the rich to step up and help out? The best way to do that is to eliminate the tax break which is about to expire. Most of the people involved would not even miss the money they would receive in tax breaks, while it would mean the difference between eating for many families.

Dear Editor, A runaway train. That’s what the Danville city commissioners resemble. Nothing seems to stop their run of taxing, spending or adding fees, which is just another way of taxing. It’s time we put on the brakes. Mandatory recycling should never have happened. Danville should have been given a choice. When three commissioners can dictate the future of our city for the next 10 years ... that is scary. When you go to a commissioner’s meeting and speak out, you walk away wondering if they have heard one word you said.

Dear Editor, At one time in the history of Danville our government representatives told us we were getting trash collection for free. Of course it wasn’t free; the service was paid for out of general tax dollars. But we had to separate that service and charge a “fee.” I don’t recall money for garbage collection being removed from the general budget and having our taxes cut or reduced. Turns out to be a deceptive way to get more money without increasing taxes.

The constitutionality of a court-upheld county tax and the claim of the misappropriation of its revenue is now in question at a state level. An appeal filed Monday in Jessamine District Court claims the fire-subdistrict tax is unconstitutional and burdens only 12 percent of the population in the county to pay for 56 percent of the entire cost of fire services in Jessamine County. It states the Jessamine County Fiscal Court exceeded its authority and unfairly sectioned off a portion of the county to pay a higher tax for benefits that are spread around, which violates Kentucky's constitution.

To the editor, I have waited sometime before posing my question because I thought someone else would surely ask it since it seems so evident. Why not tax the sale of alcohol by the drink? It seems like this would be an excellent way to generate revenue for Kentucky. I am not opposed to taxing cigarettes either, even though I grew up on a tobacco farm. But everyday I see the tragic loss of life due to alcohol Both alcohol and cigarettes take lives needlessly. But it seems the taxing is one-sided.

LANCASTER - When Garrard County Judge-Executive John Wilson announced to the Fiscal Court last August that the county had paid off the $4.5 million hospital debt 10 years early, discussions began on how quickly the insurance premium tax, which had been burdening taxpayers while decreasing the debt, could be repealed. Unfortunately, magistrates discovered in September the tax could not be dropped until July 2013, as a Kentucky statute limits how often insurance premiums can be adjusted.

The Freeman Corporation, located at 415 Magnolia St., will be receiving a tax incentive of $500,000 and will expand in the coming months. The hardwood veneer manufacturing company, which has been operating in Winchester for nearly 100 years, is planning a $3.4 million expansion, said Todd Denham, Winchester-Clark County's Economic Development Director. He also said the expansion would add 32 jobs to the workforce which will pay an average $17 per hour with benefits. The incentive was approved Thursday by the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority board.

The deadline for filing individual tax returns for the 2012 tax year is April 15. With the deadline fast approaching, perhaps the following handy tip and tax tool may help make your tax season a little less stressful. First, it is helpful to know the various deadlines in regards to taxes. A list of these can be found on About.com's website at http://taxes.about.com/od/    Federal-Income-Taxes/qt/tax-deadlines.htm. Its list covers tax deadlines from nearly every month of the year.

To boost revenue, the city of Danville may look into increasing property taxes for the next fiscal year. City officials met Thursday evening at city hall so each department could present its budget concerns, as the city begins the process of creating the 2013-2014 fiscal year's budget, which must be completed by June 30.  City Manager Ron Scott told commissioners they should decide if they want to continue keeping property taxes at a compensating...

Boyle County residents who own real estate will soon start paying a little more in taxes to help better fund the county health department. The Fiscal Court unanimously voted Tuesday to raise the health tax from 2.4 cents per $100 real estate valuation to 2.5 cents. A Boyle resident with a home valued at $100,000 would pay about $1 extra per tax bill; this increase would give the health department an additional $20,000 annually, according to Brent Blevins, county public health director.

With time running out on the short session, and Sunshine Week - a celebration of transparency - on the horizon, the Kentucky legislature should focus on salvaging what it can from its overstuffed and underproductive stint in Frankfort.  Passing the state's first real attempt to account for and make accountable the state's hundreds of special taxing districts, is a great place to start. House Speaker Greg Stumbo introduced the bill on the heels of a massive report compiled late last year by State Auditor Adam Edelen's office that determined more than 1,200 so-called “ghost governments” currently control at least $2.7 billion in annual spending.

Winchester officials say Amazon is back in good standing after not paying its payroll tax for its first four months of operation. Amazon discovered the proper withholding codes were not setup in the payroll system, according to a letter to the city. The issue was revealed in an internal review of the state and local payroll regulatory findings. No withholdings were deducted from Amazon employee's paychecks from August to December 2012. According to a letter sent to the city from AMZN WACS, a subsidiary of Amazon, the total wages paid during the period was $1,808,548.16.

About 25 people gathered for a “listening session” sponsored by Danville City Commission on Thursday evening at city hall. The meeting lasted a little more than an hour as commissioners heard from the public regarding suggestions or opinions on the upcoming city budget. Topics ranged from streetscape to building youth-friendly facilities, but the issue of taxes proved to be popular with most speakers. Wilma Brown said she wonders what the alcohol tax is being used for. “I'm wondering if the City Commission could look at other towns that have these fees and taxes and see how we can compare,” Brown said.

The Kentucky General Assembly will begin the first part of the 2013 30-day session Jan. 8, and Sen. R.J. Palmer, D-28, said tax reform, the possible legalization of hemp and school safety could all be targeted by legislators. “I have discussed with a number of legislators the need or the idea for tax reform. I think you're seeing growing consensus that we need to do something,” Palmer said. On Dec. 17, the Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform submitted recommendations to Gov. Steve Beshear and legislators for review.