Charleston residents will vote today on Charleston’s worker tax — A.K.A “user fee.” Those who frequent this site know my position on the subject quite well. I will not waste your time with another lengthy, impassioned plea, but I do have one more thing to say.

I hope you vote no.

From the very beginning Charleston’s leadership has touted this tax as Charleston collecting its fair share from mooching workers who live outside the city, use Charleston’s services but give nothing in return. From the way Danny Jones and his cohorts made it sound, workers were a pestilence that descended on the city from 9 to 5.

Of course, not only do workers support the place where they are employed, while they are in Charleston they purchase gas, lunch and supper, go shopping, and entertain themselves. It more than makes up for any loss the city may occur.

Taxes are such unpleasant and unpopular things. If we, the migratory workers of Charleston, are truly a drain on the city, then I recommend passing an ordinance at the next meeting that says you must live within the city to work there. It’s a win-win: the locusts are driven out and no one pays a dime extra. But that will never happen because the parasitical worker theory is nonsense.

This worker tax is also unfair to those living inside the city as well. What do you think your property, municipality, and B&O taxes are for? Why should you pay more for the same thing? While much attention has been given to those outside the city, Charleston’s resident workers will be paying just as much.

What about those who live but do not work in the city and drive on the same roads your worker tax dollars go to? Why shouldn’t they pay as well? Then there are those who only work one day a week in the city. They obviously ride on the roads less but have to pay the same amount if they worked the entire week.

Finally, I fear $1 is only the beginning of increased taxes in Charleston. Once a $1 worker tax is approved, what stops Charleston’s leaders from raising it to $2 or $3? If you do not think that will happen, take a look at Huntington which is considering a $4 worker tax.

For all these reasons and more, please vote against more taxes.

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Here are all the articles I wrote on the user fee:

* Charleston’s unjust user fee
* Charleston Gazette says vote for more taxes