今年的中期选举已经很热闹地登场。在最近康州的一个电视广告“扭转Trumbull ”中，前Trumbull市长共和党的州长候选人Tim Herbst宣扬了他在Trumbull的累累政绩，并强调减税了2次。
众所周知，媒体都最喜欢找共和党人的毛病，特别是在深蓝州。于是，立刻就有一篇文章刊登在Hartford Courant上，详细分析了Trumbull过去8年的财政状况。http://www.courant.com/politics/elections/hc-news-claim-check-herbst-trumbull-turnaround-20180720-story.html）。Tim Herbst任市长8年期间有两次地产重新评估，第一次，2011完成，体现在2012-13财政年税收。由于全州经济萎靡不振房地产市场持续走低，Trumbull地产估值下降超过20%。结果，地税率（mill rate）从25% 增加到了30.71%。就是说税率涨了5.71%，是该市从1936年以来税率涨幅最大的一次。（请看图一）由于居民住房估价都低了，居民实交地税额平均下降了3.5 %，这样更多的地产税负担转向商业用地。这就是所谓的第一次“减税”。
然而，从2012年到2015年，税率每年都在小幅度增加。
2015年，镇上再次评估地产，估价基本平稳，但是镇上预见了潜在的商业总产值增加，2016-2017财政年，房地产税率上调较小，只有0.65%，税率从32.74% 调到了33.39%。而车税调低到了32%。 这就是所谓的第二次减税。
图一税率历史
资料来源：http://www.trumbull-ct.gov/content/10623/10659/default.aspx
其实，前Trumbull市长的做法并不独特。笔者所居住的民主党执政的镇也是这样干的。伟大的康州政府规定所有城镇必须至少每五年重新评估一次房地产价值。 https://www.cga.ct.gov/2008/rpt/2008-R-0358.htm 每次镇政府发通知要“重新评估”房地产，就知道要涨税率了。不得不留意政府寄来的评估结果，估高了还得去跟政府appeal。做市长涨税就涨了吧，那就别告诉不知情的广大选民说你减税了，还被媒体揭发出来其实没涨。连共和党内部的前州长候选人也看不下去了：
Tim Herbst 曾在Trumbull 6年连年涨税，却在州长竞选中许诺如果当选州长将不再涨税，选民对其承诺的可信度产生了质疑。（以下Trumbull详情参考英文原文：https://www.ctpost.com/politics/article/Trumbull-tax-hikes-under-Herbst-small-but-steady-13089799.php#photo-15892862
文章后面有人留言说： “for the record, this is a softball article. The reporterdid a very poor job by not touching on the amount of bonding Trumbull hasadded, the fact that with all that tax money coming in he did not schoolupgrades, did not add a new senior center but wanted to build an $18 millioncommunity center as he was walking out the door, leaving the town with a bunchof overpaid for vacant homes to deal with. He left Trumbull with roads inhorrible condition. Trumbull is in the top 20 of CT town/city in spending(ranked 19th by the Yankee Institute). Trumbull has the highest sewer user rateof any town/city in Connecticut. Trumbull’s total indebtedness is above thestate average (100%) at 102%.” He’s the ultimate insider. He’s been in politic since his junior year of high school. 这一段话用非常具体的数字反映了Trumbull的在去年他离职时的状况。笔者不得不同意“这位从高中三年级就开始参政的政客其实是一个体制内的成员。”
再看一下和Trumbull社会经济状态类似的18个镇，其中只有3 个镇的税率有Trumbull这么高。只是2次地产评估，加上地产类别的平衡，会极大改变这种描述。同时，Tim 在任期间，Trumbull总产值估价净额每年攀升（还使Tim的税率增加好看一些）。税率和总产值估价的上涨使得最终的税额增加，即市政府的财政收入增加。Tim很骄傲地说他平衡了8次财政预算，减税两次，同时修正了恐怖的养老金资金危机，是通过在公共安全，公共教育和基础设施投入更多资金而解决的。选民不禁想问钱从哪儿来的？
从他的年预算报告看，2010 到2018年，地产税额（没有重新估价）每年约增加2%。重新估价后多数房产主经历了微小的地税下调。他说2016-17年减税0.4，但实际因为地产重新评估进而并不适用所有房产主。在他2017年财政报告中，Tim用自己的税单显示实际税变化的波动几乎可以忽略不计。Tim在2013 财年为他Fairfield Avenue的房子支付了$7,066的税，2018财年他将支付$7,697。算下来6年实际税额上涨8.9%。Trumbull某些地区居民还要支付高达1% 的火灾税，下水道税，而这两项不由本市决定。Elaine Hammers，Trumbull财政委员会主席（共和党）说，这么大幅涨税相当客观。她说与历届政府的2%相比非常惊人，有一年Tim Herbst政府曾提案涨税率11.5%。
问题就是：Tim用这些增加的税收做了什么？Trumbull现任民主党市长Vicki Tesoro （也是以前财政委员会成员）说：看Tim 八年的财政花销，从最初预算到最后预算都上涨了24%。Tim和Hammers都说Tim 把主要的税收用来支付养老金债务，所以Tim执政8年。换句话说就是Trumbull每年把全部的预算都用来支付养老金！民主党人Tesoro都鼓掌道好（Herbst and Hammers said Herbst spent the most on paying downTrumbull’s unfunded pension liabilities. Trumbull made its entire actuarially required contribution to the pension fund in each year Herbst was in office —something Tesoro applauded too.）。Tim解释说他需要稳住糟糕的形式。但问题是他对外宣传他重新negotiated 养老金，然而实际上却不是减少养老金支出？州长竞选中不是口口声声说要削减政府公务员的养老金吗？Tom Kelly（Trumbull 民主党委员会主席）说Tim执政8年同期律师费（Tim本人也是律师出身），咨询费也在上涨。2016年共和党多数的镇委员会通过了一项政策，某些行政人员的工资也上调了，包括Tim自己（上调5%）。Tim任命的共和党财政委员会成员Cindy Penkoff说：我觉得可能税银增加的某些最大顾虑是因为镇上增加了很多高级官员职位，他们收入相当相当客观（“I think probably some of the biggest concerns with theincreases that did exist is we added positions to the town of high rankingofficials that were very, very well compensated” ）。Cindy 也不明白为什么需要那么多高薪的职位。Tim和Hammers都坚持说镇上为律师新启用的工资补偿结构为镇上省钱了，却不能详细解释怎么省钱的。（Herbst and Hammers insisted that the town saved money with the new compensation structure implemented for town attorneys. The new salaried positions Herbst added — like a human resources director — helped him find savings in other areas of the budget, he said）
Trumbull市养老金和财政报告详细内容，请点击下面链接: http://www.trumbull-ct.gov/content/10623/10657/11205/default.aspx
http://www.trumbull-ct.gov/filestorage/7112/7170/2015_FY-Comprehensive_Annual_Financial_Report_(CAFR).pdf
部分Trumbull市民评论：
Outoftowner
Timmy lived off the taxpayers of Trumbull for 8 years. Car, gas,car insurance, cell phone, meals, etc. He would never provide detailed receipts when submitting an expense report. Trumbull funded his campaign during his entire eighth year in office. He never goes into his own pocket for anything. He will promise anything to get into office and then start planning for his next (higher) office. He won’t care what shape he leaves in CT. Tim Herbst increased taxes for all 8 years he was FS of Trumbull. He also raided the general fund to keep taxes “lower”. He created a garbage tax in his last year to raise 1.4 million in revenue that was never enacted by his town council leaving that deficit for Tesoro. Now he goes on TV with his lies about lowering our taxes.
gfg
Tim likes to talk aboutrules and reform, he just is more of a “do as I say not as I do” politician. While he talks about 2 tax decreases, he does not tell you that he did that by shuffling the deck. In one year, many homeowners saw a tax decrease, not only in their taxes but in their property values as well, so more of a tax burden was put on the business community. Herbst shifted an additional 5% on to businesses in Trumbull. Not something I would call business friendly but good for voters. The other reduction was accomplished by taking $1,000,000 out of the GF. Gimmicks. Secondly his “crack down”. While placing a cap on the need for bid packages at $10,000 or more, he gave a contract to an independent contractor for $9999.99 in order to avoid his own rule. And while our tax increases were small but steady, he doesn’t talk about his increase in bonding. He sounds more and more like a Hartford insider every day.
When you campaign for mayor before you are elected on “we spend too much and taxes are too high” and then for 8 yrs you increase spending, you increase bonding and the mil rate goes from 24.07 to 32.74, you cannot call yourself a reformer. All he did was shuffle the expenditures in the town to make them look pretty. Check out our increase in bonding. While I don’t see Tesoro as the leader Trumbull needs, the reason she was elected is the majority of town did not want another FS that was so close to Tim they thought they were getting another Tim. People did not vote for Vicki. They voted to eliminate the possibility of another Herbst; Bully and Chief.
Trumbull is in the top 20 of CT town/city in spending (ranked 19th by the Yankee Institute), Trumbull has the highest sewer user rate of any town/city in Connecticut. Trumbull’s total indebtedness is above the state average (100%) at 102%. We have had major development for a town like Trumbull that was already 98% developed. We currently have one of the highest vacancy rates in the area, if not the highest and 2 of our largest tenants picked up and moved out going to Shelton. Do you think that is by accident?
junkie11
I live in Trumbull and in the same six years that Herbt’s taxes only went up 8.9 % mine went up over 15%. But then again, he’s probably getting special consideration being the selectman.
看了这些Trumbull市民的评论，笔者真的惊出一身冷汗！真的要多了解情况才能去支持一个候选人啊！这边还刚刚惊魂未定，新闻又传来了Tim Herbst竞选的六步计划。第一步就是要“支持Law and order”, 要增加州警人数（这是嫌罚纳税人的罚单不够吗？需要五步一岗十步一哨？）还要增加对州警的财政投入（加工资？）。别的候选人都着眼康州经济困境，提出各种方案来减少纳税人的负担，唯一这位与众不同。提出这样的计划也不想一想，第一，康州的size , 这个全国论人口和面积都倒数的州，到底需要多少州警？第二，州警有公务员工会的。早在2008年，一个做了20年州警的退休了的40 出头的警察就已经拿到12万的退休金。每两年还要随通货膨胀率调节。现在的人基本上活到80岁没什么大问题，就算纳税人要供养这位退休的警察30年，每年12万，不算通胀，就360万！话说美国人数学差，其实连算数都不好啊！这样的有工会背景的职位越多越是给纳税人挖坑！这样冠冕堂皇作为竞选口号发表，细思恐极！