Jump Out the Window? (+)
by: SmallTownGuy
Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 18:41:07 PM EST
A few months ago I posted “0.5% for the Kids -Lets Make Overrides History” http://bluemassgroup.com/s… .
(I just posed this to a reply to SmallTownGuy and realized that it should be posted as a new thread too)
The problem facing our local communities is that they fund their operations on a regressive preoperty tax. We need to make the progressive income tax available to our local communities so that the legitimate cost of education does not overwhelm our budgets and punish those least able to afford it.
We need to increase the income tax 0.5% and mandate that it be distributed “around the statehouse” and directly to our local cities and towns on a per child basis. This would raise approximately $1B or about $1000 per child in the schools. It would substantially relieve the burden on those who cannot afford increased real estate taxes and shift the burden to those with income who are in a better position to afford it.
We can’t get water from a stone and just wish the state had more money — the fact is they don’t have it.
When I first posted and raised this with the Governor and his Finance and Administration Secretary, they said they could not consider it because of Proposition 1 to end the income tax. Now that the proposition was clearly defeated and with the likely pressure to keep services level and pass overrides, its time to reconsider.
Bruce
you can’t get water from a stone. I don’t see any appetite for an income tax increase, not with unemployment increasing rapidly, and the general downturn in the economy. I think the good people of the Commonwealth voted against the tax repeal because they understood that it would decimate services. I don’t think it meant they wanted the state to increase taxes. Just my opinion…but I can imagine the hue and cry if this went forward.
Eventually those will cause some tangible pain as well.
they may not like big budget cuts, but they don’t want their taxes raised. I think people are also hoping that governmental entities will actually show some prudence in determining which line items to cut. Cutting the double dipping pension grabbers is a good place to start.