Sure it will, those who do not pay taxes will gladly vote for the goodies that they do not have to pay for. Why do you think the ILLEGALS are flowing across our borders?
Posted on 02/04/2003 5:23:04 AM PST by Theodore R.
State income tax 'on the table' as Austin goes after Robin Hood Associated Press
AUSTIN (AP) — A state property tax and state income tax are among the many options lawmakers must consider to make good on promises to fix the ailing Robin Hood school finance system, House Education Chairman Kent Grusen dorf said Monday.
"We have to put everything on the table," said Grusendorf, R-Arlington.
The acknowledgment comes when politicians from Gov. Rick Perry to state lawmakers continue to make no new taxes pledges along with vows to improve the school finance system.
"We've got to talk about tax restructuring," Grusendorf said. "Most experts agree that a permanent solution cannot happen without having tax restructuring."
Tax restructuring is a term used by some politicians to describe changes to state tax laws, which prohibit a state property or state income tax.
Public schools in Texas are funded primarily with local property taxes and state and federal money. The school finance system takes money from property rich districts and gives it to poorer schools.
Schools in low-income areas have bought computers, books and new buildings with Robin Hood money — $600 million in the last two-year budget, a figure expected to ap proach $900 million by 2004.
Still, many poor schools say they lag behind and need more money to provide a basic education.
The state's 118 wealthier districts that have given up $1.5 billion are also pleading poverty. Many have raised local property-tax rates to the legal limit, making it hard to get more money. They say that Robin Hood is forcing them to cut programs and jobs.
Southern Methodist University professor of economics Kathy Hayes said Grusendorf has a good point, but one that may be politically tough to make.
"We need to do something. Eliminating Robin Hood is probably a good idea and in order to properly finance public education, we need to change our taxing system," Hayes said. "That would be a very difficult thing, I think, from a politican's point of view, to try to convince people."
Craig Foster of the Austin-based Equity Center, which represents hundreds of low-wealth school districts, said he hopes no-new-tax-pledging law makers are careful not to do away with Robin Hood without a better idea.
Otherwise, children in poor schools could be hurt, he said.
"If their goal was to maintain the same degree of equity by doing it with something other than Robin Hood then they would absolutely have to do something significant with regard to taxes," Foster said.
Grusendorf was reluctant to speculate about specific solutions to Robin Hood, saying he wants to first hear from all sides of the issue during the session. He'll get started Tuesday when the House Public Education Committee has scheduled its first meeting.
The committee plans to work on a bill filed by Grusendorf and Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, that would do away with Robin Hood in 2005. It mirrors legislation filed in December by Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, who said he wanted to force this Legislature to come up with a fix.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who has made school finance a top priority for the Senate, agreed Monday that education revenue needs to come from a source other than local property taxes.
However, he stressed, "I don't see that an income tax is...a possibility.'
What kind of evidence do you want?
So far as I know, no one has ever done a study saying it costs X number of dollars.
On the other hand, it is inarguable that cities such as El Paso are spending funds on people whom they should not.
A relevant example would be the several school districts of El Paso county. The schools are supposed to provide educational services to those children which reside in their school districts. And only to those children which reside in their school districts. People enrolling their children in school are supposed to provide "proof" that they live within the district. School administrators are supposed to verify that the residence in, indeed, in the district. And that it is a residence, as opposed to a mail drop or the address of a friend, etc. (They generally don't as it's not in their best interest: more bodies = more money.)
Just visit any school neighborhood near opening or closing time and check the vehicles with Fronteriza Chihuahua license tags (or, occasionally, NEW Mexico license tags).
Are you going to argue that this doesn't constitute a "fiscal impact"? Or just that it isn't significant.
The school administrators, despite their actions (or lack thereof) say it is significant and, given the overcrowding of the El Paso schools, I would tend to agree with them (my daughter's elementary school had around a dozen portables and a school population that was something like 40% over the design population).
The local hospitals will tell you similar stories.
Oh, and just for the record, this isn't, strictly speaking, immigration, legal or otherwise. These people are "merely" availing themselves of our services, gratis.
I'm sure this isn't the sole cause of the budget deficit; sales tax increased something like 60% from 1991 to 1999, property taxes likewise escalated, water and other utilities because outragous...it all adds up. This is just one part of it.
OTOH, there is a significant federal presence in El Paso: Border Patrol, INS, FBI, Army, even knew a couple Coasties down there. This definitely has a HUGE positive impact on the local economy.
They are eligible for education, at about 5 grand a year a pop.
Sure it will, those who do not pay taxes will gladly vote for the goodies that they do not have to pay for. Why do you think the ILLEGALS are flowing across our borders?
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