Taxes Are Going Up — By Tommy Purser

I don’t remember her name.
But I DO remember her attitude.
She was from The Government. I suppose she was wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase and announced upon her arrival, “I’m from The Government and I’m here to help.”
But that’s just a supposition. I wasn’t there when she arrived and I couldn’t see her because I was talking to her on the telephone.
It was years ago but I remember the conversation well.
I was trying to explain to her why, in my opinion, our county commission at that time had raised taxes.
She disagreed.
“They did not raise taxes.”
“Yes, they did.”
“No, they didn’t.”
“They DID.”
“No, they didn’t.”
And so it went.
“Listen,” I said. “If the county’s tax levy results in their receiving more local tax money this year than they did last year, that’s a tax increase.”
“No,” she countered. “They did not raise the millage rate so they did not raise taxes.”
“How can you say that?!” I asked incredulously. “Tax collections are going up. That’s a tax increase.”
“No, it’s not.”
And so it went.
I was convinced that I was right then and I am convinced of that today.
But she wouldn’t budge, and I couldn’t figure out why. I got the distinct feeling that she, the learned woman from Atlanta, was convinced that she knew more than me, the country bumpkin newspaper editor from deep South Georgia.
And hell would freeze over before she would admit that some guy from “The Other Georgia” could possibly know more than anyone from the Atlanta-Area Georgia. And she wouldn’t even consider that anyone from Jeff Davis County could come anywhere close to her intelligence.
Our conversation was prompted by the fact that the Georgia Legislature had passed legislation requiring that governing bodies in the state advertise the fact that taxes were going up if, indeed, they were going up.
The legislation was passed with strong pushback from some folks who preferred to think that not raising the millage rate equaled not raising taxes.
I strongly suspected that the woman on the other end of the line with me was one of those who opposed the legislation that forced governments to be honest with the people they served — the taxpayers.
And then, she said something that proved my suspicions:
“I told them not to pass that legislation, but they did anyway.”
Bingo. As they saying goes, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
And the Legislature had scorned this woman and they had hell to pay.
But, in the meantime, she was directing hell toward me.
She was giving me hell because I dared to question her, dared to disagree with her, dared to suggest an explanation about what constituted a tax increase when she, The All Knowing One, knew better than anyone about any thing.
So, with that said, here’s this: Taxes are going up.