Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

Marseglia: Freeze reassessments

Though she doesn't realize it, underlying her plan is the idea that a decrease in taxes will put more money into people's hands, which is good for the economy.

What she doesn't understand is that moving the tax from one home owner to another, doesn't actually put any more money into the taxpayers' hands. Any money put into a specific home owner's pocket, is just coming out of another home owner's pocket.

If the County spends $10 and $5 comes from each of two taxpayers, then changing one taxpayer's amount due to $4, will only then require that the other taxpayer pay $6, because in the end, the County needs to collect $10.

So in the end it won't work, the home owner who now needs only pay $4 may be more likely to add an addition, but the home owner who now owes $6 will be less likely.

It's a wash. It only works if the County spends $1 less.