Wal-Mart saves money at taxpayer expense

Check out Wal-Mart's corporate Web site. You'll learn how good they are at huckstering. At Wal-Mart, they glibly remark, we "believe in a philosophy of operating globally and giving back locally." Well, they sure are right. Wal-Marts are everywhere — even in the hinterlands in Northern New York. But giving back locally — well, that's another story.

I guess it all depends on what you mean by "giving." We are certainly being socked by Wal-Mart's army of high-flying lawyers jetting up here to sue us over local property taxes. This is happening right now in Potsdam, as the Times reported on July 11. Wal-Mart has now filed a lawsuit against the town of Potsdam over their property assessment of $13.71 million. They think it should be half that much.

We are not the only local community to be blessed by such suits. As reported in the Oct. 10, 2007, edition of the New York Times, a recent study revealed that Wal-Mart contested taxes on 35 percent of its stores and 40 percent of its distribution centers. Well, we all hate property taxes, and every red-blooded American has a right to challenge them, so what? The "what" is that this is obviously a ham-fisted corporate policy to cut their bottom line.

Who gets stuck with the bill? Well, yes, dear Wal-Mart shoppers, you do, in the hundreds of billable hours towns have to waste fighting in a David versus Goliath battle against this corporate behemoth.

Now, Wal-Mart denies its their policy, but let's look at the local facts. In February 2008, the town of LeRay found itself facing a Wal-Mart suit for their supercenter on Route 11. Wal-Mart said the $13 million assessment should be half that amount. In September 2008, they sued the town of Ticonderoga, claiming they were assessed 60 percent more than their property was worth.

Does anyone see a pattern here? You should. I call it corporate war on our local communities. By the way, Giant Tiger is now gone in Potsdam and Hackett's, a locally owned company founded in 1830 in Ogdensburg, is on the financial ropes.

"Save money, live better," is Wal-Mart's company slogan.

Odd, but it's actually true perversely: Wal-Mart is living the high life by saving money at taxpayers' expense. Mind you, their net sales in the first quarter were $93.471 billion, quite a chunk of change, not including those real "savings" on property taxes.

Mark MacWilliams

Canton