As a practicing certified financial planner in Rhode Island for over 40 years, I am in an excellent position to monitor the direction of our state’s citizens. I fear it is going south.

The planned introduction of legislation by Rep. Arthur Handy (D.-Cranston) and Sen. Paul Moura (D.-East Providence) raising taxes by $300 million is typical Rhode Island legislative thinking. Tax everyone to death, protect the unions, and give no incentives for companies to move here.

It is these same legislators who caused the problem and again are looking to take it out of the hides of all citizens. We have a daily tax on beds in a nursing home and we impose a sales tax on property taxes when they are paid through a lease (who would believe that Rhode Island would tax a tax?), just to name two of the many “hidden” taxes.

Financial advisers are seeing a noticeable increase in affluent retirees moving out of the state, especially to Florida, which has no state income, inheritance or personal-property taxes, and is about three hours away on Southwest Airlines.

Here’s a plan: Sell your million-dollar house, buy two $400,000 houses, in Florida and Rhode Island, come north in the summer to see the grandkids and save $30,000 a year in taxes. Wait until the Baby Boomers hit!

For Rhode Islanders who pay the alternative minimum tax, one of the main triggers of that tax is the Rhode Island income tax. The mentality of our representatives is, and has been since the 1930s, regressive. This mentality will keep our beautiful state at the bottom of the economic ladder forever.

The richest 10 percent of Americans in 2005 paid 70 percent of the federal income tax. Enough is enough. Drive out or take away the incentive from the people who actually pay the tax and there will be nobody left but illegal immigrants, indigents and the non-affluent elderly. Where will the money come from then?

Perhaps we could merge with Massachusetts or Connecticut.

GEORGE E. WRIGHT

Warwick