Dear Editor - Property Taxes in Jefferson County

Dear Editor,

What is going on with the property taxes in Jefferson County? From homes to businesses, taxes seem to have risen exponentially over the last few years. This is easily explained by the also-rising property values. So maybe the question we should be asking is: why are property values rising?

Inflation might immediately jump to the forefront of your mind, but can this issue be fully explained by something as simple as inflation? The whole concept of inflation raises another round of questions, like: what IS inflation?

We all understand - at least, most adults - that costs are rising everywhere. Fuels might be one of the most glaring examples; not only fuel for your vehicles - from regular to diesel - but especially in the upcoming 'ber months of September through December, into the first quarter of the new year - home heating costs - and, of course, the cost to heat your place of business.

These rising costs affect the prices we pay at the grocery store, and even the sometimes exorbitant prices we're almost forced to pay at the hardware store. Speaking of rising costs at the hardware store, we also must take into account the prices THEY pay - again, delivery costs, plus inflated material costs - to put the materials on THEIR shelves. But I digress....

Inflation! This concept has become almost something most people take for granted. It's just a fact of life, right? But why? Why is inflation a fact of life? Yeah, I know, rising costs and all that; but again, why?

Is it necessary that costs MUST rise?! One explanation is the rising population. According to Google, over the past several years, Jefferson County has grown at a rate of 10 to just over 11 percent. So, this might explain SOME of the rising costs we have been experiencing, but does that explain it all?! One must also take into account the tariffs the current administration has imposed on foreign goods. We use a lot of these, more than most people might think. But back to property taxes, which are, in some sense, integrally wrapped up in all of the above. DOES "all of the above" fully explain the rising property taxes that home and business owners alike have been grumbling about?! We ALL have our own opinion, so I must, but I invite your readers to at least ask themselves these questions and more!

CHARLES HADDON SHANK

Whitehall, Montana