Another ‘tax' is not the remedy

To the editor: No one wants to preserve our community more than me and my family. We’ve been here for more than 45 years. I only wish the growth was stemmed prior to the arrival of traffic lights and congested roads. Think of all the developed farms PDR might have saved. I do not, however, favor another “tax” to do so. The proposed Real Estate Transfer Tax does affect us as long-time residents. Our children and grandchildren who want to stay in the area are faced with yet another tax. Growing young families who need more space but want to stay in the area must pay more. Retirees who want to down-size, but stay in Warwick get a double-whammy: their property is more expensive to potential buyers, and whatever property they purchase is likewise more expensive for them. The proposed tax may be a “pittance” to some, but to most first-time home buyers, every additional dollar costs them either in additional loan interest or in foregoing the re-furbishing typically needed in starter homes. Explain to us in plain language just what “buying” and “borrowing” would be done. Print in our local newspaper the list of specific parcels that are targeted showing the actual location, not tax map numbers. Let us know all the alternatives you have explored before coming to this remedy of yet another “tax.” Vote No to the Real Estate Transfer Tax. Jean Miller Warwick