” Vote NO on Initiatives that Weaken Prop 13 – ‘Split-roll’”
They came for the industrial properties, and I said nothing
Then they came for the commercial properties, and I said nothing
Then they came for the residential properties, and there was no one left to speak.
Anonymous (for obvious reasons; nobody would own-up to this horrible prose)
I see that some are of the opinion that golf courses should be denied their legal protections under Prop 13 which would occur if a initiative passes to alter the state constitution so to create a ‘split roll’ property taxation that would levy huge taxes on commercial and industrial properties while leaving us residential property owners unmolested.
I will dispense with the obvious that to ‘split’ means to divide, and that divide is almost always with the intent to conquer the several parts, and, instead, take a look at only golf courses.
At occulus, what huge amount of government services does a golf course account for to justify phenomenal increases in its property taxes?
Firstly, golf courses almost never catch on fire; which means, per-acre, they require almost no emergency responder or fire services.
Secondly, golf balls, themselves, are not technically alive (contrary, I am sure, to the opinion of some golfers); this means they do not have domestic disputes, are not victims of crimes, nor engage in criminal activity, and so require no protect and serve law enforcement services.
And because golf balls are inanimate objects, golf courses don’t send all their little golf balls to school, thus they do not burden the already failing and dilapidated public school system (which proves previous increases in property taxes have failed to fix them, and so probably won’t fix them in the future).
So, if golf courses don’t cause any financial burden for the government to bear, do they contribute anything that makes communities where they are located a better place to live?
Firstly, golf courses contain acres of grass and other vegetation that reduce carbon dioxide levels in the air and increase oxygen levels.
Golf courses maintain and manicure otherwise untamed land that would become populated with vermin and the animals that prey on them, thus making it safer for surrounding residents and their small pets.
Golf courses prevent over-development of high-density housing; straining resources like water and power, and inflicting traffic congestion on local residents from added sanitation truck routs, commuters, shoppers, and tradesmen.
Golf courses do provide jobs (whereby, by the way, people pay taxes); they allow for chefs, food service workers, landscapers, coaches, trainers, and sales associates.
And, debatably, golf courses provide comparably low-cost stress management therapy for hundreds of thousands of people every year.
Taken all together, the only reasoning I can find, at this point, for the government to seek to strip golf courses of their legal protection under Prop 13 is not to bill them for services rendered, but to penalize them for the services they provide to surrounding communities.
DISCLAIMER:
I am not a golfer.
I do not own a golf course.
I am not married to anyone who owns a golf course.
I have never met anyone who owns a golf course.
I have no investments in companies that sell or manufacture golf equipment or golf merchandise.
I do not own a business that conducts any business with golf courses
While I have golfed a few times many years ago, I decided it wasn’t for me when my friend became so frustrated that on, or around, the ninth hole he picked up his golf club bag and threw it in the pond (this point is probably irrelevant, but shows why I do admit one point I made above is ‘debatable’).
I have publicly criticized the game of golf as a complete waste of time.
Vote NO on Initiatives that Weaken Prop 13 – “Split-roll”
