Letter: Unions, politicians influence tax policies

I wrote a letter on Aug. 7 after receiving my tax assessment notice, bemoaning the fact that I was now paying rent to the city for the house that I thought I owned (“Higher property tax bills hit kamaaina homeowners hard,” Star- Advertiser).

I mistakenly thought the increase in property tax was solely the result of mainland money coming in and inflating our real estate market. But after reading David Shapiro’s column in the Sunday paper, I woke up (“Mayor, Council must ease doubt about Oahu tax valuations,” Star-Advertiser, Volcanic Ash, Jan. 15)!

I had forgotten that our state was controlled by powerful unions, puppeteers of our greedy politicians. It seems they have the perfect symbiotic relationship.

Louis Carnazzo

Kailua

(Editor’s note: A subsequent column, “Property valuations fair and objective,” by the city’s budget director and City Council budget chairman, ran on Jan. 22.)

>> Contact: 529-4831 (phone), 529-4750 (fax), letters@staradvertiser.com, staradvertiser.com/editorial/submit-letter