Non-users shouldn't pay
The article by Eugene Paik, Thursday, April 24, on the county Library Tax contained a statement by President Commissioner Steve Chronister "property owners who don't use the library system shouldn't be forced to pay the tax" in reference to the library tax.
By extension, seniors who do not use the school systems shouldn't be forced to pay the school property taxes. Our children now have grown children of their own who are properly paying for the school systems as users. My wife and I don't mind paying our way, but it would be more fair for a family with 5 children to pay more than a two member senior family is paying, living in a comparable abode.
A slight increase in income taxes and sales taxes, to cover additional items, would, if implemented together, garner enough additional income to provide a tax break for senior home owners.
Carl L. Smith
Stewartstown
Carl,
I agree taxes in general are too high, but you do pay less school tax than a family with five kids - if your house is smaller. If people would only use and live in/with what they really needed you would be in a two bedroom home with a lower asessment than those with five kids and six bedrooms. If you've got more than two bedrooms, I would ask you why are you wasting our finite resources not only to heat, but even just to construct, such a dwelling?
Also, many folks have not paid enough real estate tax to cover the cost of their own education. For example, if you pay $2,000 per year in school taxes, and it costs an average of $7,000 per year per student, you need to pay taxes for 42 years to pay for the cost of your own education in todays dollars.
JR, I don't agree with your logic/math. Today's public schools fund much more than they need to in way of facilities and extra activities. The public should not be paying for all of this.
"Today's public schools fund much more than they need to in way of facilities and extra activities." I absolutely agree with this. Furthermore, I didn't grow up here, so I don't owe the system anything for my past education. I don't have children and it's annoying to write that check when the tax statement comes around. I'm thankful I don't have children to move through the area's school system---we are dumping money in to a system that is cranking out idiots.
The writer has a very short-sighted view of who should pay for public educational services available to all. Libraries and schools are used by almost all people at some time in their lives and could not be reliably funded by user fees which vary over time. People who whine most about taxes for education are usually the ones who have taken least advantage of those services.
That's the problem, Jeff. Those that are using the extra goodies provided at taxpayer expense know that they are getting a good deal. Why should those who choose not to use these extras also have to pay for them? It's not whining. It's our money.