Comments on: Just passed: Military Spouse Residency Relief Act http://moaablogs.org/message/2009/11/just-passed-military-spouse-residency-relief-act/ Tue, 15 May 2012 17:24:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Lanette Lepper http://moaablogs.org/message/2009/11/just-passed-military-spouse-residency-relief-act/comment-page-1/#comment-1555 Lanette Lepper Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:59:37 +0000 http://moaablogs.org/message/?p=526#comment-1555 Most of the military I know do NOT vote in local elections, including myself. Personally, I don't think it's right for me to be voting and making decisions in a community that one or two years from now, I will no longer be living in. Further more, studies have shown that only 50% of active duty are married. Of those, only 50% of military spouses work, and not all of them full-time. This means that AT MOST, only 25% of the military population in a given area have employed spouses paying taxes. I would hardly call that a huge impact. You seem to demean spouses who will take the 'easy way out' to maintain one permanent residence... do you also feel that it's wrong for Active Duty to do so? If not, I am curious to know what your rationale is. Both Active Duty AND their spouses are affected in the same way by PCS moves. Most of the military I know do NOT vote in local elections, including myself. Personally, I don’t think it’s right for me to be voting and making decisions in a community that one or two years from now, I will no longer be living in. Further more, studies have shown that only 50% of active duty are married. Of those, only 50% of military spouses work, and not all of them full-time. This means that AT MOST, only 25% of the military population in a given area have employed spouses paying taxes. I would hardly call that a huge impact. You seem to demean spouses who will take the ‘easy way out’ to maintain one permanent residence… do you also feel that it’s wrong for Active Duty to do so? If not, I am curious to know what your rationale is. Both Active Duty AND their spouses are affected in the same way by PCS moves.

]]> By: CAPT Tom Tack, USN (ret) http://moaablogs.org/message/2009/11/just-passed-military-spouse-residency-relief-act/comment-page-1/#comment-1554 CAPT Tom Tack, USN (ret) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:29:28 +0000 http://moaablogs.org/message/?p=526#comment-1554 JT - I did and you may want to read the last sentence of my second paragraph. JT – I did and you may want to read the last sentence of my second paragraph.

]]> By: JT http://moaablogs.org/message/2009/11/just-passed-military-spouse-residency-relief-act/comment-page-1/#comment-1553 JT Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:29:54 +0000 http://moaablogs.org/message/?p=526#comment-1553 Jeez... read the damn bill before you comment. Not mandatory..... Jeez… read the damn bill before you comment. Not mandatory…..

]]> By: CAPT Tom Tack, USN (ret) http://moaablogs.org/message/2009/11/just-passed-military-spouse-residency-relief-act/comment-page-1/#comment-1546 CAPT Tom Tack, USN (ret) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:01:58 +0000 http://moaablogs.org/message/?p=526#comment-1546 I think this was an extremely short sighted bill that can potentially have disasterous results in many military communities around the country. I'm also certain many have looked at this strictly from the perspective of making life easier on the spouse, but what they perhaps failed to consider is the total impact on the military family. Few military members choose to claim residency in states where there is a state income tax. Most of us have spent time is one of the handful of states without state income tax (Florida is one) and establish residency there for the sole purpose of avoiding state income taxes. While it puts some extra cash in our pockets during our career, it removes us from voting in many local community issues that directly impact our family. If you are stationed in a state where there is a state income tax you should be wary of the impact of this law. What this law will do is push thousands of military spouse votes out of the state you live in and into the tax haven states. That may be good for local politicians in the tax haven states who enjoy the military vote, but it is terrible for school districts and local politicians in states where there is a state income tax and large military population (ie Virginia). I'm sure some will argue this only provides a residency "option" to spouses, but we all know that given a choice most spouses will take the easy path and maintain residency in one locale. I have listened to spouses complain about local school issues for most of my 26 year career. Most were perplexed when levy issues fail, yet if you asked them whether or not they voted, more often than not they'd reply, "I vote in Florida" or some other non-income tax state. Time to look in the mirror! If you want to impact the military community you live in -- VOTE in the military community you live in! Not in some distance state where your husband attended basic training or flight school a decade ago! I'm sure Representative Carter is jumping up and down today, his voter base is perhaps solidified by this effort, but school boards and pro-military politicians around the country in income tax states will soon find it even harder to pass levies and get elected. This is the first time I find myself disagreeing with MOAA. In my mind, the negatives on this bill far outweigh the positives. I think this was an extremely short sighted bill that can potentially have disasterous results in many military communities around the country. I’m also certain many have looked at this strictly from the perspective of making life easier on the spouse, but what they perhaps failed to consider is the total impact on the military family. Few military members choose to claim residency in states where there is a state income tax. Most of us have spent time is one of the handful of states without state income tax (Florida is one) and establish residency there for the sole purpose of avoiding state income taxes. While it puts some extra cash in our pockets during our career, it removes us from voting in many local community issues that directly impact our family.

If you are stationed in a state where there is a state income tax you should be wary of the impact of this law. What this law will do is push thousands of military spouse votes out of the state you live in and into the tax haven states. That may be good for local politicians in the tax haven states who enjoy the military vote, but it is terrible for school districts and local politicians in states where there is a state income tax and large military population (ie Virginia). I’m sure some will argue this only provides a residency “option” to spouses, but we all know that given a choice most spouses will take the easy path and maintain residency in one locale.

I have listened to spouses complain about local school issues for most of my 26 year career. Most were perplexed when levy issues fail, yet if you asked them whether or not they voted, more often than not they’d reply, “I vote in Florida” or some other non-income tax state. Time to look in the mirror! If you want to impact the military community you live in — VOTE in the military community you live in! Not in some distance state where your husband attended basic training or flight school a decade ago!

I’m sure Representative Carter is jumping up and down today, his voter base is perhaps solidified by this effort, but school boards and pro-military politicians around the country in income tax states will soon find it even harder to pass levies and get elected.

This is the first time I find myself disagreeing with MOAA. In my mind, the negatives on this bill far outweigh the positives.

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