Several weeks ago, an article in The Times mentioned that the new “birthday tax” law was due for some “tweaking.” I assumed this was to account for the fact that the law was passed in such a rush that several issues were left unclear or unfair.

But senior citizens and others who can least afford it are in for a rude awakening if they still believe that the new law will eliminate their annual ad valorem tax. It won’t, unless they can afford to buy a new or preowned vehicle.

And to make matters worse, an article in Monday’s paper mentions the fact that the huge new “title fee” can be financed with the purchase of the car. So now buyers can add interest on several thousand dollars more to their monthly car payment over the entire life of the loan. As far as I can see, this benefits the car dealers, banks and finance companies at a time when consumers are already under financial strain.

Seems like it’s time to contact our governor and legislators and ask whatever happened to the tweaks.

Michelle Crawford
Gainesville