I must respond to the latest letter from William Vaughan Jr. (“Taxes in proportion to home value don’t make sense,” May 19).
Mr. Vaughan argues that people should pay only for the services they use rather than be taxed based on their property’s value. This makes sense only if you want to live in a world where it’s every person only for themselves, rather than a society where people help each other.
Does Mr. Vaughan believe every child deserves an education, because many parents could not afford to pay the full price for that service? Did Mr. Vaughan go to a public school where others helped pay his bills?
The point of progressive taxation is to distribute the costs of our society on the basis of one’s ability to pay. Therefore, owners of more valuable properties pay more. The alternative is to deny many citizens any services they are unable to afford, including education, health care and security. That would make no sense in a civilized society.
Stephen Walbridge
Freeport
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