Former Old Dominion University president James Koch is asking a question some find uncomfortable: Why should taxpayers hundreds or thousands of miles from Virginia Beach have to shell out big bucks for sand replenishment there?
A new report analyzes the economics of the issue. It finds that the beach is an economic asset to the community, that people are willing to pay higher prices for homes near beaches, and that beach replenishment pays for itself.
The obvious question, then, is: Why shouldn’t Virginia Beach pay for beach replenishment all by itself, through a combination of funding from (a) the real-estate taxes on locals whose property value derives from the beach’s vicinity and (b) hotel, meal, and other taxes on tourists who come to frolic in the sand? By what right should Virginia Beach take money for beach replenishment from a New Mexico waitress who never sets foot outside of Albuquerque?
p.s.—Oh, c’mon. Would you really take as much interest in the economics of beach replenishment without the picture of the blond in the bikini? Would you rather have a picture of Koch? Absolutely splendid gentleman, to be sure. But still!
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