NorthSide.Talk

By Stan

January 4, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this

I don’t like it. It doesn’t simplify taxes at all, rather it seems to make it more complex.

By ATL008

January 4, 2008 2:18 PM | Link to this

It is a much fairer system than only taxing property owners - apartment dwellers send kids to school also. That way everyone contributes to supporting the school system instead of just those who own property.

By Betty D

January 6, 2008 12:08 AM | Link to this

Only if it means we are going to pay more - substantially more - for our schools. Let’s face it, folks, our state has one of the worst, most embarrassing educational records in the nation AND the world. We know that capitalism works. If you pay teachers more - and I mean a 25% raise instantly - the teaching profession would attract better candidates. It’s that simple - at least when we’re at the bottom and looking up at the rest of the literate world - so why don’t we do it? I am ashamed to be a Georgian sometimes.

By Bud

January 8, 2008 10:54 AM | Link to this

There should be a kid tax. I am a property owner and pay school taxes. I don’t have kids and never will, but I am still forced to pay for someone elses kids, and I’m not the only one. Make the people with kids pay. That will make people think twice before they have kids they can’t afford and give them a vested interest in raising children properly. Aftert that, re-institute corporal punishment. Kids today are just thugs raised by Nintendo’s and cartoons. Parents have no accountability and expect the school system to instill morals and ethics. When I was growing up, that was the parent’s job. You can’t keep teachers now because they’re scared and too much responsibiity is being placed on them as well blame. Look to the parents first!Tax them!!!

By JD

January 8, 2008 11:16 AM | Link to this

Hey Bud. A sales tax will include parents… and their kids. Our current system only taxes property owners. Which means all the renters don’t pay school taxes. A sales tax will include them as well. The only group who will suffer adversely is seniors because most of them are exempt from school taxes. It’s a good idea, but will probably never pass.

By Bud

January 8, 2008 11:24 AM | Link to this

JD,

You’re missing the point. Create a “kid tax” for parents. I realize sales taxes would include taxing parents, but a sales tax would also impose the “school tax” still on those people without kids,* which is what I’m against.

By the Judge

January 8, 2008 11:31 AM | Link to this

only parents should pay for schools! and when a rebate tax check comes, it should be $600.00 for those without kids and $300.00 for people with kids. we’re not spending local money specifically on people without kids, but we do spend a lot of local money helping kids, and that’s good, but parents should pay for it. and for the traffic parents cause by coddling their kids and dropping their kids off at school, every parent should get 5 free trips to drop off their kid, after that it should be a $2.00 charge every time the car comes on the lot, we already spend tons of money on school buses and they need to be properly used. coddling your kid today will not help them to be an independent productive person tomorrow.

By Uncle Sam

January 8, 2008 11:57 AM | Link to this

if you drink alcohol, you pay an alcohol tax, if you smoke cigarettes, you pay a cigarette tax, nobody else should pay taxes for any of that, as with kids, if you have kids, YOU pay for your kids, not somebody else, that’s what a good parent is supposed to do, take care of their kid, not depend on taking money away from others to take care of your child. your child is no ones responsibility but your own.

By the don

January 8, 2008 1:00 PM | Link to this

re: kid tax

Who paid for your school? Your parents? Or all taxpayers? So you should be able to opt out now that you don’t need the school any more?

Good schools draw better and more employers, giving you better wages. Good schools create better citizens and taxpayers, giving you a better place to live. I don’t have children, and I support whatever it takes to improve the school system.

By Bud

January 8, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this

the don:

My mother paid for my primary and secondary education, 100%. Not you or my neighbors. Later on, I paid for my higher education 100%…a private college with no goverment subsidies.

I’ll support our crappy education system with my tax dollars when it gets reformed.

By the don

January 8, 2008 1:17 PM | Link to this

really? where did you go to school? I have my doubts about your claims.

By the don

January 8, 2008 1:18 PM | Link to this

really? where did you go to school? Your claims are… suspicious

By Filbert

January 8, 2008 1:26 PM | Link to this

It’s a good idea and should be developed. An undeniable fact of life here is s significant portion of Georgia’s student population involved families living in apartments and/or families here illegally who rent accomodations. While apartment building owners and the owners of houses rented to others pay property taxes, and those taxes ae supposedly built into rent, this does not ensure full and fair payment by all. In Forsyth County, where I live, over 1/3 of the student population at my daughter’s old elementary school was Hispanic. While that does no guarantee the kids were here illegally, let’s face facts folks, a substantial portion probably was. And given the propensity for multiple familes to share accomodations, if, for example, 3 families live in one house, and all 3 families have kids, the property taxes on that house only pay for 1 family meaning 2 families are taxing the system’s resources without paying for it. So, by ditching the sales tax and going to an income/spending generated system, the burden would be more evenly distributed. And ther could een be exemptions, such as individuals over a certain age do not pay the additional tax. that would mean seniors no longer pay property tax which would mean they have more income, and for fixed-budget oldsters that would be a welcome benefit. Youngsters and couple with no kids, sorry folks. You’re part of society and one day I’ll be paying for your kids like you are paying for mine now. Bottom line, find a way to generate the funds to pay for Georgia’s education without sticking it to property owners. And if the income generate by a sales tax (consumer tax) exceeds property taxes, use it to hire truly qualified teachers and not some of the rejects I’ve seen who don’t even speak proper English, much less care about how or what they teach.

By Bud

January 8, 2008 1:31 PM | Link to this

the don:

Did the mafia educate you properly or just teach you to be suspicious? There is such a thing called private school and there is such a thing called private colleges that do not accept government funds…not a lot though. Look it up.

By Joey Mills

January 8, 2008 1:59 PM | Link to this

As a home owner who doesn’t have kids and will never have a kid, I don’t think its fair for me to foot the bill to teach children whose parents rent an apartment. They need to pay their fair share. I am willing to give up a tax deduction, so I don’t have to give $4000 every October to the Atlanta City Schools.

By the don

January 8, 2008 3:41 PM | Link to this

I still doubt your claim - and there are are indirect payments even to private schools and colleges. However, you didn’t even address the more important points - that everyone benefits from good schools.

Your “what’s in it for me” mentality is unchristian and unamerican.

By Uncle Sam

January 8, 2008 5:10 PM | Link to this

look out Filbert, you’re making sense, that can get ya in trouble nowadays. some good points made. another point for those that want that Fair Tax or what i call the ‘Fare’ Tax, when the sales tax doesn’t pay for everything and the bickering begins and schools are far short on funding, then people will seek a solution, and going along with the them of the Fare tax, people will ask parents to pay a kid tax for schools. the way I see it right now, parents are doing pretty good, they don’t want a different system. but only parents should pay for schooling, unless we have fair and equal funding for all to go to school, including college. pay for our kids to go to college before any other countries kids and before we send another dollar to another country. the world is changing, as always, and we better start taking care of our own.

By Bud

January 9, 2008 9:48 AM | Link to this

the Don:

Unchristian? Does that have anything to do with taxes. Un-American? Far from it. Capitolism and “what’s in it for me” IS the American way. Why do you think we have so many immigrants. Sorry, YOU missed the point. As I said before, I’ll voluntarily pay school taxes when we have a good school system that actually helps me. Right now no one is benefiting other than the parents who have a place for their kids to go Mon - Fri. If parents pay for their kids to go to school, they’ll make sure their money isn’t wasted. The way it is now, parents don’t care because they’re wasting mine and your money, not just theirs. Keep your thoughts to yourself until you have one that makes sense…or until you finish highschool…one I help fund for underachievers such as yourself.

By Rikki TikkiTavi

January 9, 2008 10:22 AM | Link to this

Fixing schools is really pretty simple, even though the depth of the problem in Georgia may be insurmountable….

Disband teachers union, fire 75% of the “adminstrators”, give the remaining teachers a 50% raise, acknowledge that ADD/ADHD is a pure garbage and incarcerate anyone who anesthetizes/drugs their children, restore classical education, require that all teachers complete at least 3 years of “real” world work experience before recieving a teaching certificate, restore PE, require bilinguality (spanish or chinese)as a condition of HS graduation, require drivers ed and eliminate dropoff/pickup.

By MannyT

January 9, 2008 12:57 PM | Link to this

The benefit that most folks like about using sales taxes is that they hit people that come to your tax area to consume, but do not live there. This is always the pitch when they want SPLOST money to make buildings, fix sewers, etc.

I paid school taxes before I had kids and suspect I’ll have to pay them after my kids are long gone. If we do focus school taxes on parents only, then let’s expand that to all other areas that are not universally shared. When a congressman brings a project to your district, make sure the value of it does not exceed the taxes paid in that district.

By bob

January 9, 2008 1:03 PM | Link to this

Yes, because who’s paying for the illegal’s kids ,PROPERTY OWNERS. let them pay for their kids too. A sales tax will make them pay. John Q Public is tired of paying other peoples bills..

By MIKE

January 9, 2008 2:05 PM | Link to this

Freezing or “capping” assessments will not necessarily hold down taxes. If you lock down or cap assessments you will simply see the millage rates increase. Politicians don’t ever tell the whole story…

By mike

January 9, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this

I like rikki tikkis solution. Only problem is, it actually makes sense so noone in power will like it.

By Mark

January 9, 2008 2:14 PM | Link to this

Public education is a social contract. People with and without kids helped pay for your education and if you ever had kids you’d have the right to have their education paid for by the public in the same way. Further, its a fallacy to say that people who are renters don’t pay property taxes. Does anyone out there really think that the cost of property taxes doesn’t figure into the monthly rent that renters pay to their landlords? They may not pay the tax directly, but they certainly do indirectly.

We here in Georgia have it good when it comes to property taxes compared to what I used to pay up North. Granted, none of us likes to pay for property taxes, but good schools also keep up property values. By comparison, I have little to complain about and you do, too!

The so-called “GREAT” plan is a mistake because it takes too much control away from local boards and governments and gives too much power over who gets what to the state.

By the way, Rikki Tikki, if you had a child with ADHD and you SAW the difference a little bit of medication makes, you wouldn’t be so judgmental. Walk a mile in my shoes, buddy!

By the don

January 9, 2008 2:30 PM | Link to this

Well, Bud, you won’t admit where you went to school, which casts doubt on your claims.

But did you or your mom pay to build the schools you went to? I’m pointing out that you benefited from other peoples work and payments even if it wasn’t tax money. They invested in schools for future generations because they knew that is was for the public good.

Also, even if you paid the bill for your college education, you didn’t pay the entire cost to provide that education. Did the school have an endowment? Did they solicit funds? That money offset part of the cost of your education.

You drive on roads that other people paid for. You go to parks that other people paid for.

The “what’s in it for me mentality is unchristian and unamerican”.

And you still don’t address the fact that good schools are good for the economy, and poor schools are bad for the economy. That affects everyone, regardless of whether or not they have children. That’s capitolism.

By Tom

January 9, 2008 2:32 PM | Link to this

Finally, something that actually makes sense!! I’m so tired of paying property taxes to send kids to school when so many other people do not have to pay.

To top it off, paying property taxes goes against one of the greatest freedoms granted to us under our Constitution - the right to own property. If you do not pay property taxes, who takes your home or land - the government. So do you really own property? This new system will allow individuals to finally be property owners - what’s not to love about it?

By gttim

January 9, 2008 4:12 PM | Link to this

If you think children are shortchanged now at school, see what it is going to be like when the counties have to go begging to the state to get school funds. Yes, the sales tax will go to the state and be rationed out by them. Will all of it be given for education? Will some counties be given more at the expense of others? Who decides what county get how much? It is far cheaper to build a school in south Georgia than inside the perimeter.

This is merely a plow to take more power from the local authorities and give it to the state. Local school systems will lose their freedom. Some local systems charge more local taxes so they can have a better schools. Many communities are considered better to raise children in because of this. Suddenly the state will be the one to decide if a local system can spend more money per child if it wants to. The local government will lose all the power in education choices for its citizens.

By Jim

January 9, 2008 4:32 PM | Link to this

Under the current federal tax system Richardson’s plan would leave us with less money in our pocket. That is because we would be paying more or less the same amount of tax to support the schools but as a sales tax we would get no deduction for it. At least the prop tax gives us a deduction. If I have to pay a tax anyway, I’d prefer to get a deduction for it.

By Tax Assessor

January 9, 2008 6:02 PM | Link to this

For all you people b*** about not having kids and paying for “someone else’s kids to go to school”, all I’ve gotta say is have you ever heard of Homestead Exemption?????