Local Governments

Why is it that local governments, including county can only fund projects, schools, fire departments and libraries by raising property taxes?

Anyone have local govt experience? I know the reason is that it's the easiest fix and slides under the voters radar too often but...What else can be done?

Thanks...think of this as civic education 101.

Were else are they going to fund schools and libraries and public parks from?

Government, be it federal, state, county or city, is able to fund projects and programs through the collection of taxes. These taxes are necessary not only for funding programs and projects, but to also pay for the function of the governing body itself.

Nothing is for free.


Cheers!!!!!

Thanks for the reply and understood. But if home values and number of people living in a district increase and they do and government keeps the spending within budget new taxes should not be needed.

so I guess I answered my own question. gov't spending needs to be cut.

Why cut taxes? I expect that as assessed property values decrease, increases in the tax percentage will be needed. I like a well equipped fire department, quality library, quality schools, snow removed from hwys ASAP, and roads without damaging potholes.

Originally posted by amazing
Thanks for the reply and understood. But if home values and number of people living in a district increase and they do and government keeps the spending within budget new taxes should not be needed.

so I guess I answered my own question. gov't spending needs to be cut.

Yep, considerably! There are billons spent on bogus projects, and billions spent on stuff that even congress has no idea where or what the money goes to.

Companies that run to government getting bailed out of their problems is also another thing that needs to stop. We dont see government bailing out the poor families loosing those homes and jobs now do we? Why should their taxes be used to bail out those companies that lay them off and take away their houses?

And in the end, who benefits?

Certianly not the taxpayer!!

Cheers!!!!

I think a flat rate tax should be enacted, across the board. The current tax chart is so out of balance that some are taxed more than others, and usually towards the low income brackets, the tax breaks towards the higher income brackets.

Its just like the credit industry, if you got tons of credit, you pay less interest, if you got less credit, you pay so much in interest it over-bloats the line of credit you have.

Kind of backwards.

Well..off to gather up all those reciepts and get them ready for next year's taxes.

Cheers!!!!

Originally posted by Isispriest
Why cut taxes? I expect that as assessed property values decrease, increases in the tax percentage will be needed. I like a well equipped fire department, quality library, quality schools, snow removed from hwys ASAP, and roads without damaging potholes.

well I agree that we need those things as well but the problem is that I can't afford my property taxes as they are. Adding more just increases my burden. I can't afford it.

We need to start holding local and small towns as well as the large cities accountable for finance and balances. By using local papers and radio station trying to control our small towns and cities when it comes to spending and accountability, then and only then we can start getting the our country back. Somehow we need to get people united on this rather than talking politics! Politicians and lawyers are the worse cancers to a democratic type of system. We have to get past I didn't vote for him (her).