DATE: Sunday, September 28, 1997            TAG: 9709270713

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A11  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Decision '97

SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   44 lines

REAL STORIES ``GONE TOO FAR WITH THESE TAXES''

Stuart Violette went from Back Bay birdwatcher to political watchdog when he received a tax bill on his motorized inflatable raft.

The personal property tax bill came to less than $10 a year, but it wasn't the amount to which Violette objected.

``It's first with houses, then with cars, then with things I store in my shed or on a shelf,'' said Violette, who keeps his raft in a backyard shed. ``I think they've crossed the line, gone too far with these taxes. Where does it end?''

Violette, a 41-year-old optician, bought a $300 motorless raft a few years ago for leisurely paddles in the ocean and birdwatching excursions through the Back Bay refuge.

He wanted to explore more of the waterway on his outings. So he spent another $80 to $100 to equip the raft with a 3-horsepower motor.

Then, he found he had to register his watercraft. And next he received that tax bill.

``I wasn't irate. I was more amused,'' Violette said. ``I thought it was ridiculous. But the sum of money involved wasn't worth fighting it.''

A better response, he said, is supporting the plans of politicians who oppose the tax. He favors the phase-out proposal of Republican gubernatorial candidate James S. Gilmore III.

Don't think Violette opposes government spending on important services.

Education, he said, should be ``a top priority issue on any city's list.''

But doing away with the personal property tax, he said, may help city governments learn to use revenue smarter and more efficiently.

``They need to take a good hard look at how they're spending their money and get their priorities straight,'' Violette said. ILLUSTRATION: Photos

PHILIP HOLMAN

Caroline Violette, 2, and Paige, 4...

Stuart Violette

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