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in article , Scott Weiser at
wrote on 3/30/05 1:25 AM:

A Usenet persona calling itself KMAN wrote:

"Scott Weiser" wrote in message
...
A Usenet persona calling itself KMAN wrote:

"Scott Weiser" wrote in message
...
A Usenet persona calling itself KMAN wrote:

in article ,
BCITORGB
at
wrote on 3/28/05 7:09 PM:

Scott:
==============
Mill levies are set based on the "assessed value" which does factor in
both
use and comparative property values along with parcel size, but while
the
mill levy is set each year, the assessment is changed only about every
five
years. There is no direct link between the income the property
generates
from year to year and the assessable value of the property, so no, the
renters don't pay their "fair share" of the school taxes
===============

Semantics.

frtzw906

It would seem so. Property owners pay property taxes. Landlords are
property
owners that must cover the cost of their property taxes through the
rents
they charge to tenants. Tenants pay rent which includes the portion of
revenues the landlord must pay in property taxes. If the renters aren't
paying their "fair share" that can only be the case if landlords are
not
paying sufficient taxes, which is clearly not the problem or
responsibility
of the renters.

It is indeed inherent in the manner in which property taxes are assessed
and
collected, and you're quite right that to be fair, renters should be
paying
more for schools. To say it's not the problem or responsibility of the
renters is sophistry, however, because they have just as much of an
obligation to support the schools as the property owner.

Not at all.

Taxes are paid on the property. The owner of the property pays them. End
of
story.

Not quite. It's interesting to see your inconsistency however. You want
everyone to pay for health care in proportion to their income, while you
want landowners to pay more, proportionally, than renters for education.
Why
is that?

Uh. The landlord will charge the rent he needs to generate the profit margin
he wants, and one of his expenses will be taxes. As long as the property tax
paid by the landlord is appropriate, then so is the share the tenants are
paying through their rent.

Profit margin is not the point. The point is whether each citizen is paying
an equal share of the funding required for schools. Fact is that renters are
not paying an equal share, they are paying far less per capita than
landowners, which happens to include people who own homes and land upon
which NO profit is made. Thus, the single home owner pays more than the
renter as well.

Your beef would seem to be with how properties are assessed. This has
nothing to do with the poor guy paying his rent. If the property is taxed
appropriately, the landlord is going to charge the renter and collect the
revenues need to pay the property taxes.

I'm not surprised at your inconsistent approach to funding medical care and
schools, given the fact that it's landowners who get soaked for schools, and
socialists don't like landowners because they are mostly "have nots" who are
jealous of the "haves" of society and are willing to do anything to bring
others down to their own level. That's what socialism is all about.

I'm a landowner. I'm not a socialist. I'm also not a selfish jerk.

That's why a national sales tax on consumer goods to fund education for
children is a much more fair way of doing things. By doing so the costs
are
paid based on the ability to pay. Rich consumers buy more luxury goods
and
thus pay a larger portion of the school costs than poor consumers.
There's
nothing wrong with this because consumption is voluntary, and any rich
consumer who doesn't want to fund schools need only stop consuming.

So are you only taxing luxury goods?

"Consumer goods" is the usual term used. It applies to "luxury" goods in
that "luxury" goods are generally defined as items that are for
recreation,
pleasure or quality-of-life enhancement. It excludes necessities such as
food, most clothing, heating and electrical costs and other suchlike
necessities.

I have a feeling it won't be a very popular idea,

Probably not, since the majority of people are not landowners and they, like
you, are happy to stick it to landowners out of jealousy.

I'm a landowner. I am not interested in "sticking it to landowners."

If everybody in
the country had ethics, we wouldn't need much by way of law.

Let me know when you get some. Advocating vociferously for your own selfish
needs is not what I would call ethics.

and I think Wal-Mart is
going to fight you pretty hard to make sure as many goods as possible aren't
in your luxury class.

Nah. They don't care about the taxes, they don't pay them, the consumer
does.

LOL. You might want to find out a little more about how taxes affect
spending, which affects the bottom line of business.