Boy, when you pay attention to this stuff every day, you realize how our state legislators try to ream taxpayers every chance they get. The latest great idea that has citizens grabbing their ankles is the increase in car registration fees to pay for toll roads — you know, the roads that are supposed to be paid for only by the people who use them.
A shout-out goes to Sen. Kay Hagan, who, just a few days after figuring out that if the state directs less lottery money toward education then the state will have more lottery money for education, offered up this justification to her constituents for supporting the tax:
“I think a lot of people don’t like toll roads, and I’m included,” Hagan said. “But to build these roads, in reality, benefits everybody.”
For example, the piece of I-540 in Raleigh that becomes a toll road will help speed people coming from Greensboro to points east, she said.
Thanks for looking out for us, Senator.
Now, with this in mind, I’ll ask again: Is there still anybody out there who really, really believes the land-transfer tax option will keep property taxes down?