We're all familiar with the adage that nothing is certain but death and taxes, but politicians are starting to realize new taxes mean the death of their public careers.

So we are going to hear less about taxes and more about "user fees."

At first blush user fees -- charging people who use a service for that service -- seems in line with running government like an efficient business.

But what user fees really are is a way to enact new taxes without having to use the "T-word."

Take the ill-fated attempt in Griffith to impose "user fees" on people who had accidents in town. The idea angered so many people that the state Legislature outlawed it.

Munster Town Councilwoman Helen Brown and I have been sparring over user fees, which she sees as the future of the government biz.

"You're not going to convince me that user fees aren't the best way to go for the residents of Munster. The tooth fairy has run out of money," she said. "Honestly, we are trying everything to make the town run efficiently and not penalize everyone for what a few residents are using."

Not all user fees are bad, and neither are all taxes. As Brown says, the money to run a town has to come from somewhere.

Regardless of whether a person has a child in school, each property owner pays for a community's schools under the notion that better schools add value to everyone's home.

Brown is justifiably concerned because property taxes are again not going to be collected on time and the town already is out $600,000 in interest alone on tax anticipation warrants, which had to be issued to pay town employees on time. It's lost revenue that has to be made up.

And you can raise that revenue with user fees. Munster is now hitting speeders, for example, with twice the fee that neighboring Hammond does.

But once the goose has begun laying golden eggs, there's a temptation to keep it producing beyond its capacity or the capacity of the public to tolerate it. And then, like Griffith, you've killed the goose.

The exorbitant cost of the Munster tickets leads to another potential problem. As more revenue is needed, police stop being law enforcement officers and become fundraisers.

They may deny it to high heaven, but no one really believes police do not have quotas, directly or indirectly. If you value your career, you write tickets.

So don't be shocked when you get stopped and hear the officer say, "I'm sorry, but I am going to have to write you a user fee."

The opinions are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at markk@nwitimes.com or (219) 933-4170.