Funding for State Parks: “Opt In” vs. “Opt Out”
There’s a bill in the state legislature that could keep state parks open for another two years by adding millions of dollars to their funding. Currently when you renew your vehicle license tab, you can “opt in” by checking the Yes box and donating an extra five dollars for state parks.
Under the proposed rule change, you’d be automatically making that extra $5 donation unless you opt out by checking the No box. Lynn Kessler is one of the sponsors of this legislation.
It’s estimated that an extra $23 million dollars could be raised this way, without actually “raising” taxes (or so the reasoning goes).
What do you think? Is this a good way to keep our state parks off the chopping block, or is it just a sneaky backdoor method for raising taxes?
Under the proposed rule change, you’d be automatically making that extra $5 donation unless you opt out by checking the No box. Lynn Kessler is one of the sponsors of this legislation.
It’s estimated that an extra $23 million dollars could be raised this way, without actually “raising” taxes (or so the reasoning goes).
What do you think? Is this a good way to keep our state parks off the chopping block, or is it just a sneaky backdoor method for raising taxes?
posted by Tom Harper at 8:20 PM
5 Comments:
I say go for it, if it raises money for the parks. People are free to check no and save their $$.
"Yes". To both.
I'm in favor of this tactic, even if it's sleazy. We need to keep these parks open. By now people should be used to watching what they sign and which boxes they check. Everybody is using this bait and switch tactic these days. It isn't right but we should be used to it by now. Sign up for cell phone service and you're "agreeing" to pay a $300 fine if you switch carriers. Sign up for a credit card and you "agree" to have your interest rate jacked up to 999% if you're one minute late with a payment.
If somebody "accidently" donates $5 to the state parks, they should have been paying attention.
With the economy in the toilet, state parks are a lower priority than they used to be.
I don't think the state should be encourage to do these sneaky things...it's not honest, and they are SUPPOSED to be our representatives.
The state has been increasing their bait-and-switch tactics, offering "opt outs" with very short deadlines, and other gotcha-s and, even assigning extra fees for murky reasons. They're taking a hint from the credit card industry and banks, and I think that is both a bad idea, and dangerous.
It's eroding public trust.
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