[Peace-discuss] taxes for school

[C. G. Estabrook]

As Dianna Visek accurately points out,

"Sales taxes are always regressive because lower income families pay a larger
percentage of their income in sales taxes than wealthier families do.  Although
this tax won’t apply to food, medicine or vehicles, it increases the cost of
clothing, school supplies, toiletries and other basic items.

"The state collects a 6.25% sales tax, an amount exceeded by only seven states. 
When local sales taxes are included, Champaign County residents pay 7.75%.  In
March Cook County voted to raise its sales tax to 10.25%, the highest in the
country.  If the school sales tax passes, we won’t be far behind."  --CGE


Karen Medina wrote:
> We all benefit from educating our children. While the tax needs to be 
> progressive, I think this particular sales tax comes close to being
> progressive: it taxes only certain items. However, my hesitation comes from
> the fact that I think the school board is trying to get around the fact that
> the last property tax for the schools was turned down -- they tied it to a
> new school where nobody lived and scoffed at the consent decree.
> 
> I agree with Carl that school funding should be equalized on a higher level,
> but the Federal government ties the funding to the No Child Left Behind --
> which is better than it used to be but still leaves a lot to be desired.
> 
> I also agree that it would be hard to make sure the money actually goes to 
> education -- I remember well the failed promises of the lottery. Though a tax
>  on foolishness would be somewhat poetic if it paid for wisdom.
> 
> -karen medina ---- Original message ----
>> Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:33:40 -0500 From: "C. G. Estabrook"
>> <galliher at uiuc.edu> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] local issues To: Neil
>> Parthun <lennybrucefan at gmail.com> Cc: Peace Discuss
>> <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>, Barbara kessel
> <barkes at gmail.com>
>> Ideas are not responsible for the people who believe in them.
>> 
>> Property taxes are as close as we come to wealth taxes (and we should come
>> 
> closer).
>> Disparities in school funding need to be equalized at the state (or
>> federal) level, not by a regressive local tax.  --CGE
>> 
>> 
>> Neil Parthun wrote:
>>> Bruno Behrend, a far right radio show host whose show I was on a few 
>>> years ago, is for the Con Con.  So, I'm against it.
>>> 
>>> And while sales taxes are regressive, it is also fundamentally unfair to
>>>  put most of a school's funding on property taxes.  Poorer districts have
>>>  significant difficulty in getting funding for their buildings due to 
>>> such economic setups.  Illinois is a state that has some of the most 
>>> fundamental disparities in school funding between districts.
>>> 
>>> Its not the act of seeing with our own eyes alone; its correctly 
>>> comprehending what we see,
>>> 
>>> Neil
>>> 
>>> We absolutely have to refuse to attribute any kind of permanency to that
>>> which is simply because it is. [angela v. davis, 1944-]
>>> 
>>> Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some 
>>> blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. 
>>> Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a 
>>> spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. [ralph waldo emerson,
>>> 1803-1882]