Letters to the Editor

Looking at the ‘millionaire tax’

Dear Editor:

I was disappointed to read the letter to the editor from Dola Hamilton Stemberg employing incorrect data to argue against the proposed “millionaire’s tax.”

I’ll ignore for now that Ms. Stemberg incorrectly believes in some Ayn Rand fiction that we live in a pure meritocracy or that she is clueless about the health of the local public school options. She presents the case of a poor neighbor earning $2 million in wages with a $3-million home with their kids in private school and suggests that an additional $40,000 in tax will put their overall tax rate at nearly 50 percent of their income. In fact her hypothetical neighbor, with a better accountant, would likely pay closer to 33 percent of their income in taxes with the data she provides due to the manner in which marginal tax rates are calculated and the layers of deductions from which these neighbors benefit. Hopefully, this windfall for the neighbor provides flexibility to easily pay that “millionaire’s tax.”

Ben Starr

Beacon Street

 

‘Ibis Ascending’ among city’s notable public art

I applaud Karen Cord Taylor’s article on Boston’s public art.  I would suggest adding to the list Judy Kensley McKie’s sculpture, “Ibis Ascending,” located in the Garden of Peace on the upper plaza of the Saltonstall Building at 100 Cambridge St. It is a beautiful statement of hope and renewal.

Beatrice Nessen

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