To the editor: What does the public get for giving tax exemption?
The Chester Telegraph | Feb 04, 2016 | Comments 4
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With regard to the Chester Rod & Gun Club’s request for property tax exempt status, I’d like to know that the facility will be open for public use if exemption is granted. That was always my understanding of how the town benefits from not collecting property tax on that sizable piece of land.
By allowing the public to use the shooting ranges there, we provide a safe location for folks to go shooting as opposed to forcing people to set up a makeshift range elsewhere, where there might not be adequate backstops. That seems like a fair trade to me.
So, is the facility open to the public under this proposal, or is it restricted to use by members only?
Tim Roper
Chester
Filed Under: Commentary • Letters to the Editor
What is the cost to join the Rod & Gun Club? Can there be a discounted price for Chester residents? Just a thought.
Chester Police Department uses the club for their firearms training for free. So what residents lose in revenue from taxes they get back by not having to use the training fund money. Some of the stuff they do there would cost quite a bit. For example the use of a vehicle on the range and using lights at night etc.
Has anyone got an answer to Mr. Roper’s question?
Agreed. Tax exemption increases the cost to the rest of the base, so the public should be able to get something out of it.
Why should I pay more taxes if I don’t get anything out of it? Remember the American Revolution? It was because there was taxation without representation. Same principle here.