When a city doesn’t generate enough tax revenue because property taxes don’t bring in enough money, the poor people who live there are punished with higher utility bills. It’s very regressive thinking, asking poor people to pay a higher share of their income than other residents for basic public health protections like water or adequate plumbing. Flint had miles and miles of old pipes underground that needed repair and replacement. In 2014 the city pipes were leaking between 20 and 40 percent of their load, which meant residents and business owners had to pay for those water losses. The
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