Letter to the Editor: Response to Sen. Chase's legislative session comments
Monday, April 18, 2016
Letter to the Editor:
Dear Senator Chase,
The November ballot will have your bill calling for a vote, again, on a state income tax. Please keep in mind the states with only sales tax weathered the recent recession better than those on the income tax, and recovered quicker.
The local school boards won’t solve overcrowding if the state keeps increasing funds without responsibility for results. The teacher shortage won’t be solved if the “teachers” keep moving out of classrooms and into the admin buildings, last time I checked the student-teacher ratio was very low.
Using the term “Wall Street Party” is confusing. Bill Gates Jr prefers the Democratic Party… And the charter schools do not cater to the rich but to the unreachable students, usually the poor.
We do agree on one thing, the Public Works Trust Fund for clean water projects was self-sustaining from loan repayments before the legislature was forced by court order to “fully fund” schools and took all the money.
You also claim “…Poor working families pay about 25 percent of their personal income in taxes…” means someone with a $10,000 yearly income is paying $2500 in state taxes. Check your turbo tax sales tax deduction. And your idea “…Perhaps [the court] will declare all tax exemptions unconstitutional…” would remove the sales tax “exemption” for food, utilities, and rent. Let’s hope not.
Historically, states that switch to the income tax have quickly written all sorts of selective tax exemption rules. They promise to keep the sales tax low and reduce the state’s share of property taxes. But there is always another school “emergency” that can break those promises.
Please check my claims and reconsider your position on the income tax.
Margaret Wiggins
Using the term “Wall Street Party” is confusing. Bill Gates Jr prefers the Democratic Party… And the charter schools do not cater to the rich but to the unreachable students, usually the poor.
We do agree on one thing, the Public Works Trust Fund for clean water projects was self-sustaining from loan repayments before the legislature was forced by court order to “fully fund” schools and took all the money.
You also claim “…Poor working families pay about 25 percent of their personal income in taxes…” means someone with a $10,000 yearly income is paying $2500 in state taxes. Check your turbo tax sales tax deduction. And your idea “…Perhaps [the court] will declare all tax exemptions unconstitutional…” would remove the sales tax “exemption” for food, utilities, and rent. Let’s hope not.
Historically, states that switch to the income tax have quickly written all sorts of selective tax exemption rules. They promise to keep the sales tax low and reduce the state’s share of property taxes. But there is always another school “emergency” that can break those promises.
Please check my claims and reconsider your position on the income tax.
Margaret Wiggins
Lake Forest Park
Posts
2 comments:
I'll vote Republican if any Democrat tries to push through a state income tax. Use wisely the money we give you already before trying to take more.
Once again I suggest - let's use traffic cameras and enforce traffic laws. We would be able to abolish most forms of taxation, and only those willing to pay (by breaking the law) would have to fork over $.
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