The leadership of the Republican Party has stated that it prefers user fees rather than increasing taxes on any portion of the population.

I say fine;  then put user fees on:

• Those who use tax loopholes so that they can escape paying any taxes and their fair share to support all the benefits they enjoy (use) as residents of this country. This includes the businesses and corporations doing business in America. All of these entities use the resources, workers, laws and amenities of our country.

• CEO, owners and board members of companies and organizations that operate in America who have salaries, bonuses, benefits and any other compensation that makes the accumulated income of any individual to be more than 10 times higher than that of the compensation of the lowest paid employee in the company or organization. The higher compensated are using their employees’ labor to enrich themselves without paying their employees a fair wage, so a user fee is appropriate.

• Any company, organization, corporation or the owner, board member or CEO of any entity that sells a product, especially a medical product, for more than three times the cost of production shall have a user fee. These entities are using consumers as hostages and patsies, many of whom have no choice but to purchase their product or die due to patents and low or no competition.

These are examples of people who use capitalism and our citizens for their own greedy benefit. There are many others who use and abuse our system, tax laws and do not pay for what they use and abuse. User fees are fine with me for these individuals and entities.

Melicent Versteeg

Augusta