Tax cuts ? (Houston, Mart: low income, sales, 2015)

[Jack Lance]

According to a Houston Chronicle article in todays paper there is a debate brewing in the State Legislature concerning the type of tax cuts the state legislature wants to adopt. One is a sales tax cut that would save each Texan an estimated $43 dollars a year or about $172 a year for a family of 4. The other strategy would reduce property taxes by an average of $200 dollars a homeowner : Question which type of tax cut would you prefer, a cut in our sales tax rates or property tax rates ? This is of course assuming it will be one or the other....

PressReader - Connecting People Through News

[PedroMartinez]

Where is the option for a different tax collection mechanism?

I still want to pay school taxes, county taxes, etc, but I don't want it done via a property tax.

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by PedroMartinez

Where is the option for a different tax collection mechanism?

I still want to pay school taxes, county taxes, etc, but I don't want it done via a property tax.

Sorry Pedro but that doesn't seem to be on the State Legislatures agenda, but these tax cuts are...

[ftbend06]

Of the two, a cut in sales tax might have the potential to provide tax relief to those who need it most. But I wonder what expenditures would be cut to offset the loss of revenue. And if this would take any decision making authority from the local jurisdictions on these matters. Without knowing the latter, I don't know that I'd support any action.

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by Jack Lance

Sorry Pedro but that doesn't seem to be on the State Legislatures agenda, but these tax cuts are...

In that case, a property tax cut.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by PedroMartinez

Where is the option for a different tax collection mechanism?

I still want to pay school taxes, county taxes, etc, but I don't want it done via a property tax.

If it makes sense .... it's not gonna happen

[marksmu]

Originally Posted by ftbend06

Of the two, a cut in sales tax might have the potential to provide tax relief to those who need it most. But I wonder what expenditures would be cut to offset the loss of revenue. And if this would take any decision making authority from the local jurisdictions on these matters. Without knowing the latter, I don't know that I'd support any action.

A cut in sales tax benefits the poorest among us more yes, that is true....but it also benefits those who are here illegally, in much the same manner as it benefits those here legally. In addition to that it reduces revenue from tourism and other areas which are unnecessary places to make cuts.

Reducing property taxes has the same effect of reducing sales tax (saves a household money) but it does not offer cuts to those who break the law or may just be visiting...

Renters will benefit from a property tax cut through a lower increase in their rent (yes its still going up b/c they cut $200 off a $2000 increase) but its still the same dollar amount of savings.

Personally I'd love to see property taxes go away completely as well...It is a very poor way of funding our schools and infrastructure....With the increases we have been seeing, our taxes will be doubling every 7 years, and most households can not sustain that kind of increase.

By putting the burden more on consumption, than on housing, those who buy more things or more expensive things will pay more - and those who buy less, will pay less....Larger families will thus have more tax obligations to schools than smaller families, and that is fair (and I come from a large family)

The idea that we can prop up all the failing low income school districts on the backs of the wealthy districts is not a good long term solution. Eventually the wealthy wont be able to support the poor, and then the system collapses.

A more equitable solution is one where everyone pays something....There is no free ride.

[curbur]

You do realize a state needs a certain amount of tax revenue to function properly, right? The reason our property taxes are so high is directly because of the lack of state income tax. If you take the property tax money away, they'd simply have to pull it out in other ways. I personally like putting in property tax over sales or income taxes, considering that it takes a certain level of socioeconomic success to actually purchase a home.

[vwgto]

I prefer taxes on consumption, which should be woven into our property tax rates as well.

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by curbur

You do realize a state needs a certain amount of tax revenue to function properly, right? The reason our property taxes are so high is directly because of the lack of state income tax. If you take the property tax money away, they'd simply have to pull it out in other ways. I personally like putting in property tax over sales or income taxes, considering that it takes a certain level of socioeconomic success to actually purchase a home.

And by having that property tax you raise the level of socioeconomic success in order to own a home.

Studies show that children with greater housing stability perform better than their peers in school.

http://fcd-us.org/sites/default/file...0Stability.pdf