Enough is never enough
Posted by BrianMONTGOMERY - Supporters of the 10-mill property tax amendment approved last week hope local governments don’t offset financial gains from the amendment by reducing existing support to the 30 city and county school systems affected.
Shame on those of you who voted “yes” on Amendment 2. The 30 affected school systems were already getting their 10 mill equivalent in funding. Now they are paying 10 mills on property plus the sales taxes they were already paying to meet the 10 mill requirement and the AEA et. al. want to keep it that way. Translation: tax increase.
The way Amendment 2 was advertised was abhorrent. Advocates sad, “Tax this guy over here it won’t hurt you a bit.” It played on the morbid desire to see others suffer the same afflictions that have befallen you. I’ve heard it referred to as the “Misery Loves Company Amendment.”
I also despise the “it’s only a few dollars a year” argument. I guess raising taxes until it hurts is just fine to some.
Mark my word, the education establishment has seen the success of this technique and they will be searching high and low for ways to separate a few counties from the herd again on a statewide amendment in the future.
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November 13th, 2006 at 11:32 am
Yes, I had a problem the way it was advertised as well. But I still voted “yes,” and I would do so again. Whether or not the local systems raise or lower their sales taxes is not my concern. Every district in Alabama meets the requirement to receive matching state funds. What they do with their sales taxes now is a local concern.
Again, I would have preferred a Constitution that would have allowed the local districts to make up their own minds about where their taxes come from, but our Constitution usually requires a state-wide amendment to raise even a local district’s property taxes. So until that changes, I think this amendment is the best way to address the situation.