Who needs high taxes? Not us!

There was a bit of good news/bad news regarding Alabama released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau, depending on how you look at it.

The bureau just completed its survey on the annual tax burden faced by residents of every state. Alabama, as in far too many other categories, ranked 50th among the 50 states.

But, as mentioned earlier, this one could be a good thing.

Data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that the average Alabamian paid $2,782 in state and local taxes in 2006. That's nearly $1,000 less than the median average of $3,700 for American residents.

On the surface, it's certainly the kind of news that begs one question, however. Why doesn't this state buy billboards and newspaper advertisements all over the nation to promote the fact that you can come to Alabama and pay fewer taxes than anywhere in the country? Surely, I-65 and I-20 would be lined up for miles at each entrance to the state with people trying to get here and take advantage of this situation.

Certainly, this issue should make us very proud. Right?

Actually, most people have no idea that our tax burden is the country's lowest. It seems like I still hear a lot of people complaining about taxes.

Either way, perhaps there's more to this story than meets the eye.

Maybe those billboards and paper advertisements might need to mention a couple of points in the fine print, considering tax revenue is the only way governments can pay for the services we need and often demand. So, we probably should be up front and let those motorists on I-65 know that our roads, classroom offerings and other services might not be at the same level that they're accustomed to back home.

If having quality services all the time are the only things they're looking for, maybe Alabama is not the place for them anyway. At least, I know some people who feel that way.

A lack of consistent quality of services doesn't seem to bother most Alabamians.

Sure, people complain about bad roads and the inconveniences associated with getting some services, but no one seems to really care as long as they don't have to pay more taxes, especially property taxes. Our property taxes, as you likely have guessed, are the lowest in the country by far. We annually pay $395 per person in property taxes, while the median nationwide is just over $1,100.

Let's don't go there. It's an issue that's been debated for generations in our state without any action. No one seems to really care anyway, so let's concentrate on the good side of this debate and leave the potholes to someone else to handle.

Mike Goens is the TimesDaily managing editor. He can be reached at 740-5740 or mike.goens@TimesDaily.com.