Regarding Steve Hyle's letter in the Dec. 6 issue. Mr. Hyle's letter warned that citizens must be vigilant as to the capability of politicians "... to tax anything that moves or doesn't move." The State of Florida's "creative taxers" have beaten Milton's and Newark's "taxers" by over 40 years. In 1972 we moved to Florida, and, in the process of finalizing the purchase of a new home, we were presented with what I still consider the ultimate "creative tax."
As I flipped through the stack of real estate closing papers in a lawyer's office, a line-item charge hit me like a stick in the eye. Item: Iintangile tax $1,200! Astonished, I said to the lawyer, "This looks absurd to me, since the definition of an 'intangible' is something that cannot be seen, felt, or otherwise sensed." He chuckled and said, "Everyone says that, and it is true, but it's a state property tax meant to cover anything else that they may have missed putting a specific tax on. And, you must pay it or you can't buy the house." So, we paid it.
Yes, the politicians, at any level can create taxes on anything, and even on things that may not even exist, at any time.
Ed Lane
Rehoboth Beach
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