Thomas Litteral: Paying for nothing
Saturday, October 1, 2011
In this climate of fiscal responsibility, I find it very curious how taxpayers are being asked to pay for empty seats. The Referendum 2B to require a taxpayer-backed system to pay airlines for unfilled seats doesn’t make sense for our cash-strapped locals. Sure, we would like to see a successful ski season, which highly depends on visitors arriving by airlines, but this program directly helps the resort and businesses, not the individual taxpayer.
It may be the standard to offer a subsidy to airlines to come to resort communities, but for the tax base to be stretched to pay for any empty seats is just wrong, in my view. What message does this send to the airlines? Why would they need to market Steamboat Springs over another community? They have no reason to advertise as the flights would be “virtually” full, having got their check already.
And if the tax base is asked to write a check to the airlines, how about a clause that allows locals to fill empty seats on a stand-by basis. Wouldn’t that be fair? After all, we would have already paid for those empty seats. Or are we being taxed to be paying something for nothing?
Thomas Litteral
Steamboat Springs
Comments
heboprotagonist 1 year, 7 months ago
It's easy for the retirees, independently wealthy, and part-time residents (and anyone else whose income is stable despite the economy) to see this tax as a waste. They will neither benefit nor suffer if the airline ceased flights altogether. I get the feeling that many would love just that, thereby keeping the Yampa Valley difficult to access.
However, as a citizen who has a degree, but can't make use of it here, I find myself employed at various businesses to make ends meet. Every one of my jobs is dependent on tourists. Meaning that if business is slowed b/c tourists can't find affordable flights, then my positions could be eliminated.
In turn this means that the level of customer service offered at local retail and restaurant establishments will suffer. (Fewer employees working longer hours = less effective employees). Which could lead to businesses shutting down altogether.
Sure, mine is a slippery slope argument. But I don't like it when conservatives use the same methods to rail against mmj, so you'll just have to deal with it.
As for the idea to give Routt County residents those unfilled seats on a stand-by basis, I can't argue with that. I'm just not sure the airlines are willing to negotiate.
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