Eliminate School Property Taxes? Yes!Submitted by MQSullivan on Thu, 12/06/2007 - 3:09pm.
We all know the time is long overdue to rip the poisonous weed of property taxes out of the state's economic garden. We might actually get the chance if State Rep. Phil King of Weatherford gets his way. King is making waves today, calling for the elimination of the school "maintenance and operation" property tax levy, which amounts to about a third of all property taxes. He'd replace it with revenues generated from the existing consumption tax. It's well agreed on by economists that consumption taxes are a superior way to fund government --better than property taxes and income taxes. Alan Greenspan told Congress several years ago that modern economics has clearly demonstrated that if you were to start a government today, you would only use a consumption tax. The Lone Star State has the opportunity to lead the nation in this fair, modern reform, and Phil King should be congratulated for jump-starting the public conversation. Texas' consumption tax has been a solid workhorse, ensuring a strong business environment that drives a healthy, prosperous economy, while providing Texans with a daily reminder of exactly how much government costs them. Efforts to reduce property tax rates in recent years have been undermined by proponents of the current appraisal/tax systems by refusing to engage any meaningful reform. As such, even as rates have been forced downward, tax burdens continue to rise through the appraisal process. Shifting to consumption taxes would be inherently more fair, while providing an important, transparent check on the cost of government. Research in Texas has shown that with even a mild broadening of the sales tax, the rate could be left essentially unchanged. Enough revenues would still be raised to accomplish Mr. King's vision of eliminating the school M&O tax. Bookmark/Search this post with: |
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Getting rid of the property
Getting rid of the property tax sure will sell well here outside Dallas. I agree with you -- the sales tax is the best way to fund government. And NO INCOME TAXES IN TEXAS
Yes, eliminate the property
Yes, eliminate the property tax and replace with a means tax.
Jim
Absolutely
I'd vote for this in a heartbeat. My property taxes are going through the roof at home and the lease for my office is going up almost entirely because of massive tax increases on the building owner.
Taxes
It would be good if someone with some power would start a new political party called the "Fair Consumption Tax" party. The FCT Party would be focused primarily on changing the way the federal and state governments tax us. Of course, this party would secondarily be working on taking care of our troops, immigration and government efficiency.
Phill
Elimination of the Property taxes
It would be great to eliminate property taxes but that would still not control the growth of taxes and the growth of government. We need a Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights, TABOR, like the one passed by the citizens of Houston in 2004 that limits the growth of government to inflation and population.
Property taxes have increased at double digit rate over the past few years and we do not want government to grow faster than inflation and population.
Elimination of Property taxes would be great with a TABOR component.
Bruce Hotze
Houston Texas
ABOLISH ALL SCHOOL PROPERTY
ABOLISH ALL SCHOOL PROPERTY TAXES.
ESPECIALLY FOR SENIOR CITIZENS WHO HAVE NO CHILDREN IN SCHOOL. I PAID MY CHILDRENS WAY THROUGH SCHOOL, WHY AM I PAYING FOR SOMEONE ELSES CHILDREN?
abolish property taxes
Abolish ALL property taxes, not just school taxes! Schools can be supported by people paying tuition and sending their kids to schools teaching the things they approve of! Free Market education is a great thing and no taxes or government is needed. People would truly own their own property then and be able to hand it down to their children and future generations...or whatever they wish to do with it. Freedom. It means freedom from most taxes we have now including the income tax.
Here Here! And while we're
Here Here! And while we're at it, we need to get rid of ALL entitlements for old people. If they can't make it on their own, let them die. This would ease the burden of us young people who are paying into a bankrupt system.
Old people
Old people were once young as you are and we paid into the system, as you are.
A better idea would be to
A better idea would be to shoot all the "young people" and let us old folks have their jobs. Then we would not want the entitlemints and the system would be solvent again. The are just a bunch of spoiled crybabies anyway!
Property Taxes and School funding
Getting rid of property taxes would be a great thing for America if it were replaced with NOTHING and if all taxes attached to property would be eliminated all together. This is the only way for property to be owned and controlled by the people, rather than the state.
Our schools should NOT be controlled by government in the first place. Only private education supported by tuition can change the way we are educating our children, and thus free them from their government bondage. Getting rid of one tax, yet failing to eliminate all property taxes, and replacing one tax for another in order to generate even more revenue is simply NOT the point. The point is to reduce the size, scope and spending of government at all levels.
AMEN!
AMEN!
Sales tax vs. Property Tax
Would this tax switch include a (p)rebate like Boortz' FairTax? If so I think this idea is excellent and could be sold.
Yes it would.
Yes it would.
Eliminate School Property Taxes
I am strongly in favor of Mr. King's proposal. My question is how will he ever find enough legislators in Austin with enough backbone to support his proposal?
Scrap the entire state of
Scrap the entire state of Texas tax system totally. Institute a state retail sales tax on the first instance of retail sales of any goods or services. Exclude no one. NO ONE!!!
Abolishment of School Maint. Tax on Property Taxes
I agree w/ this whole-heartedly! As a fellow Texas the school taxes/property taxes have been out of control for at least the last eight years! Every year our family uses our income tax returns to pay our taxes plus we have to add a couple of thousand thru the year, to make up the difference. Also, as a fellow Texan my children are Home Schooled, and no one allows my family a tax break, much less a school maint. allotment per year. Wake up Congress/Senators/State Reps.!!!!! Regular everyday working families are barley making it. What are you going to do to change it for the State of Texas?
Texas Mom,
Sara K. Buskirk
School property taxes
We pay taxes for 3 houses (and live) in the Spring Branch School District, and because too much tax is collected, some of our money is sent to South Texas on the Robin Hood plan. NOW we have to pay a margin tax for the schools on top of that? A tax that comes off the top line of our service company and does not allow for costs and labor adjustments similar to the income tax computations? A double whammy!
We are building a house outside a city and plan to sell the three inside Houston.
Get rid of the illegals and THEN see how much money is needed. Why does the word "illegal" mean I have to pay for them?
Karen Robey-Kleypas
You hit on the head
I'm a little over 4 years to be elgible to retire and like most have looked forward to it. Now worried about where I can afford to live should I retire because there is no way I can afford the taxes here in Houston should I retire. We have lost control of every aspect of our government. They build sports arena's that the average citizen cannot afford to frequent and Toll roads, what the heck have they done with the money taken in for taxes on gas, license plates, auto inspections and I'm sure they make something of insurance. Nothing is free in this city anymore not even the Zoo. Before long we will be paying to go to the public parks. When we pay income tax before we even get or pay their just getting warmed up because whether you spend it or save it they will figure out how to get at it some way. The money we earn is not ours they just let us see a portion of it for a very short time to make us believe it's ours. Our fore Fathers would sure be proud you think?
Consumption tax
A sales (consumption) tax vs an income tax or property tax is a no brainer.
The rich obviously spend more than the poor.
The tax on sales incourages saving and property ownership.
Almost all low and middle income families state that they don't have enough income to permit savings. This is the means to encourage them to think twice before they buy something that may be a "want" rather than a "need."
We can't force everyone to live on a budget but we owe it to them to help them realize that they have an obligation to their family to save for their own emergencies.
Robert B. Roper, 311 Swan Ridge Drive, Duncanville, TX 75137-3127, Phone 972-296-3517
Taxes: Sales vs Property vs Income
WRONG on consumption tax. What we do need is one tax paid by the citizens themselves and not confiscated in their paycheck or at the sales counter.
I have enjoyed your work to this point but a sales tax is not the way to go. It is as obnoxious as the current property tax. Both are hidden from most tax payers though the property tax has reached a point where there is finally some revolting going on.
Check out Dick Armey's option for a flat tax where his original plan had everyone writing their check to the government so they knew what the government was costing them. Now there's a way to cut out the middle man/woman.
property taxes
I'd like to eliminate property taxes altogether. I believe it is immoral for government to have virtual ownership of all property.
eliminate property taxes altogether
I agree! Eliminate property taxes altogether. Why penalize someone who has worked hard to buy a home and now can not afford the taxes on it?
They build sports arena's
They build sports arena's that the average citizen cannot afford to frequent and Toll roads, what the heck have they done with the money taken in for taxes on gas, license plates, auto inspections and I'm sure they make something of insurance. Nothing is free in this city anymore not even the Zoo. mirc mirc çet çet mirc mirc
PA elimination of school tax
Yeah for Texas. Here in Luzerne County, PA, we are also attempting to eliminate school and per capita taxes. No tax should have the power to leave you homeless. No government should have the power to remove anyone from their homes after working so hard to attain what they have. It's just downright wrong and unconstitutional. I wonder what our forefathers would think of America now. There is a meeting 9/24/09, 7:00 PM @ Wyoming Valley West High School, Route 11, Plymouth, PA to discuss the elimination of school property taxes, should anyone out there be interested in attending. Here's something written in the announcement I received that I need clarification on: IF YOUR SCHOOL PROPERTY TAXES ARE $1500 PER YEAR, YOU WOULD NEED TO SPEND AN ADDITIONAL $25,000 ANNUALLY ON NEWLY-TAXED ITEMS TO EQUAL YOUR ELIMINATED PROPERTY TAX. IF YOUR TAX IS $3000 PER YEAR, YOU WOULD NEED TO SPEND $50,000 ANNUALLY ON NEWLY-TAXED SERVICES TO EQUAL YOUR ELIMINATED PROPERTY TAX. Does this mean I HAVE to spend that much, and keep every receipt to verify to have my taxes eliminated...or is this a summary of what one would spend to equal the same amount in taxes? I interpreted it one way, a co-worker another. I'll be at that meeting. Another statement made: STATEWIDE, CURRENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGETS INCREASE, ON AVERAGE, AT TWICE THE RATE OF INFLATION. Americans are being taxed beyond their means and it just needs to stop. Greed has to stop. Life-long and generational welfare needs to stop. Enough is enough already! We the people need to put our foot down. Cheers to Texas and PA and any other state out there fighting!
school tax
Yes! Eliminate school taxes! What happens with all the money brought in by lottery tickets of all kinds? How closely is that monitored? WHO runs the lotteries and what is their average salary? I never hear about it or see anything in writing as to where all the lottery funds go. The PA daily lottery, (now drawn twice daily) to the best of my recollection, was to benefit senior citizens...I'm not seeing that happen. Seniors are still making the choice of medication, food or heat. Funds drawn in by the millions on a daily basis through lottery sales should be sufficient, thus eliminating school property taxes and letting the honest, hard working American to stay in the home they worked so hard for. And what about the life-long and generational welfare people mentioned? Do they need to worry? That's another subject but sore to me. I think they need to do something like keep the streets clean for their checks every month. How about this? Every person receiving welfare MUST FIRST PASS a weekly urine test to receive their checks! Eliminate school taxes??? YES!