The darnedest challenge to communications to the broader public about government programs and services is that such welcomed programs and services are funded on an ongoing basis via tax collections of various kinds. If you want the programs and services to continue, some mix of taxes at a cumulative adequate rate of collections must be in force. But of course, everyone hates, in principle, paying taxes. So broad tax rate reductions and limitations on the collection of taxes by various government agencies and entities are easy to "sell" to the public at large. Everybody thinks they are saving money that they can then spend on other needs as they wish. It's often only after the cherished government funded programs and services are eliminated or sharply diminished that the average citizen figures out they've been taken advantage of once again. Then it's too hard and too late to fix things. "The rich get rich and the poor get poorer. In the mean time, in between times, ain't we got fun?!"
Thomas, it's going to take two tons on $$$$ from interest groups to produce many campaign commercials explaining what you're writing about. Unfortunately television and social media are the only way to get your message across
A cap on income tax doesn't seem unreasonable so long as the first $60,000 of income is exempt from income taxation. Everyone would pay the same income tax rate, but only on their income which is above $60,000. Couple that with a property tax on all property, but the first $200,000's worth of property is also exempt from taxation. (Corporate stock and such is property, not just cars and houses). The property tax could more than make up for taxes no longer taken on the first $60,000. Poor and middle-class people would be protected.
Mr Rand. That are trying to limit property tax too, which is the purview of local governments and the cap is being put too low on income tax. They don’t want to fund anything that doesn’t help themselves. We must stop them.
The Guardians of Pedophiles (GOP) is only going to do what’s good for themselves and their wealthy donors. The school voucher scam needs to be halted immediately.
The scam is that they can sell this as capping “your taxes”, and those who don’ pay attention to how things actually work will think k it’s true. Because on the surface, a cap on personal income tax *looks* like something that would benefit everyone equally. A “flat tax” seems like the same kind of idea. And a *sales* tax increase looks like an even better idea, because it taxes *consumption*, and don’t rich people spend more money than we do? (Spoiler: No, not really.) So the challenge is figure out how to make the pitch that regressive and flat taxes are actually screwing you over fit on a bumper sticker. Figure out how to do that, and you can win with it. Because that’s as much attention as a majority of voters are going to devote to it. It’s not that they’re stupid (most of them) or don’t care (many of them) they simply can’t devote the time it takes to research every single line item, even if they can process what it says.
Property taxes are often more regressive than sales taxes. Many seniors on fixed incomes pay 10% of their annual earnings on property taxes alone. And both commercial real estate and high-end residential real estate are notoriously and systemically under valued -- and therefore undertaxed.
Property taxes are regressive because huge chunks of rich people's property tends to be exempted from property tax. Include corporate stocks and that sort of thing in the property tax. Those stocks are property. Suppose a man owns 1/3 of a company valued at 30 million dollars. Tax him for that $10 million of property. The regressive element can be cured by imposing a flat exemption for the first $200,000 worth of property anyone owns.
No worries, that’s being corrected in the newest assessments. We got out of Wendell just in time to miss the largest increase in valuation in Wake County, only to land in Chatham just in time for the valuation to go up 89% on our *house* the following year. Not the *land under it*, the actual structure. I wish all my investments had that kind of annualized return. That said, our property in Chatham probably *was* undervalued. I’m just glad we didn’t have city taxes to deal with too. A friend of mine lives in Pittsboro proper, and got absolutely *hammered* in the last increase.
Anyone remember a gentleman and his band of thieves back in merry old England who stole from the rich to give to the poor? It appears that the Republicans are doing a reverse Robin Hood.
The darnedest challenge to communications to the broader public about government programs and services is that such welcomed programs and services are funded on an ongoing basis via tax collections of various kinds. If you want the programs and services to continue, some mix of taxes at a cumulative adequate rate of collections must be in force. But of course, everyone hates, in principle, paying taxes. So broad tax rate reductions and limitations on the collection of taxes by various government agencies and entities are easy to "sell" to the public at large. Everybody thinks they are saving money that they can then spend on other needs as they wish. It's often only after the cherished government funded programs and services are eliminated or sharply diminished that the average citizen figures out they've been taken advantage of once again. Then it's too hard and too late to fix things. "The rich get rich and the poor get poorer. In the mean time, in between times, ain't we got fun?!"
Thomas, it's going to take two tons on $$$$ from interest groups to produce many campaign commercials explaining what you're writing about. Unfortunately television and social media are the only way to get your message across
A cap on income tax doesn't seem unreasonable so long as the first $60,000 of income is exempt from income taxation. Everyone would pay the same income tax rate, but only on their income which is above $60,000. Couple that with a property tax on all property, but the first $200,000's worth of property is also exempt from taxation. (Corporate stock and such is property, not just cars and houses). The property tax could more than make up for taxes no longer taken on the first $60,000. Poor and middle-class people would be protected.
Mr Rand. That are trying to limit property tax too, which is the purview of local governments and the cap is being put too low on income tax. They don’t want to fund anything that doesn’t help themselves. We must stop them.
This is off-topic for today's post, but I wanted to share a time-sensitive call to action:
Here is a link to make a public comment on Trump's vainglorious arch:
https://savingplaces.org/monumental-arch#ncpc
The public comment period ends on Wed. June 3rd at 12 noon ET.
The Guardians of Pedophiles (GOP) is only going to do what’s good for themselves and their wealthy donors. The school voucher scam needs to be halted immediately.
The scam is that they can sell this as capping “your taxes”, and those who don’ pay attention to how things actually work will think k it’s true. Because on the surface, a cap on personal income tax *looks* like something that would benefit everyone equally. A “flat tax” seems like the same kind of idea. And a *sales* tax increase looks like an even better idea, because it taxes *consumption*, and don’t rich people spend more money than we do? (Spoiler: No, not really.) So the challenge is figure out how to make the pitch that regressive and flat taxes are actually screwing you over fit on a bumper sticker. Figure out how to do that, and you can win with it. Because that’s as much attention as a majority of voters are going to devote to it. It’s not that they’re stupid (most of them) or don’t care (many of them) they simply can’t devote the time it takes to research every single line item, even if they can process what it says.
Property taxes are often more regressive than sales taxes. Many seniors on fixed incomes pay 10% of their annual earnings on property taxes alone. And both commercial real estate and high-end residential real estate are notoriously and systemically under valued -- and therefore undertaxed.
Property taxes are regressive because huge chunks of rich people's property tends to be exempted from property tax. Include corporate stocks and that sort of thing in the property tax. Those stocks are property. Suppose a man owns 1/3 of a company valued at 30 million dollars. Tax him for that $10 million of property. The regressive element can be cured by imposing a flat exemption for the first $200,000 worth of property anyone owns.
No worries, that’s being corrected in the newest assessments. We got out of Wendell just in time to miss the largest increase in valuation in Wake County, only to land in Chatham just in time for the valuation to go up 89% on our *house* the following year. Not the *land under it*, the actual structure. I wish all my investments had that kind of annualized return. That said, our property in Chatham probably *was* undervalued. I’m just glad we didn’t have city taxes to deal with too. A friend of mine lives in Pittsboro proper, and got absolutely *hammered* in the last increase.
Anyone remember a gentleman and his band of thieves back in merry old England who stole from the rich to give to the poor? It appears that the Republicans are doing a reverse Robin Hood.
I think the last thing our legislature needs is any more authority over anything.