Local business: Kmart dodges property taxes


July 3, 2008 · Updated 10:04 PM 

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The Wall Street Journal revealed in, “Attention, Assessor - In Kmart’s Leftover Bin: Nasty Tax Scrape with Towns” (March 31) that Kmart, in a Chicago Bankruptcy Court, is trying to weasel out of $8.6 million of taxes claimed by states, cities and counties from Florida to Alaska.

Checking the bankruptcy court records, I learned that our local Kmart is trying to avoid paying over $10,000 of personal property taxes that go to pay for our local schools, police, fire fighters and roads. They are trying to force county taxing authorities to give up the fight to collect the taxes against them by trying to require our public servants to spend additional taxpayer money to hire lawyers and go to Chicago just to try to hold Kmart accountable.

Other business taxpayers in town pay their taxes while Kmart holds out. Kmart shouldn’t be worried that its association with Martha Stewart might tarnish its image. Kmart’s doing a fine job of tarnishing its image all by its lonesome.

Kal Clark

Oak Harbor

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