These questions were developed in Wisconsin but are universal. Here are nineteen questions that an elected official (School Board, City Council/Town or Village Board, County Board, State Legislature) should be able to address after two budgets, or two years in office, whichever comes first.
Note: Some of the questions are premised upon faulty or erroneous assumptions, or the political view of the questioner. Other questions have no 'correct' answer but the answer should reflect the respondents' views on levels of taxation and redistribution of resources through taxation.
1. What is the "taxpayer bill of rights" (TABOR) we have been hearing about in the news?
2. The role of fees as compared to property taxes; user fees do not count as property tax, although they are a tax, one way or another. I see the state and local governments raising fees to keep property tax increases lower. What are the pros and cons to this?
3. Total taxes vs just property taxes. Where does our state compare to other states when accounting for all taxes paid (including all user fees, income tax, sales tax, etc.)?
4. How do the interest and inflation rate affect property values? How do these relate to a potential “housing bubble,” as it has been called?
5. How can a tax freeze allow an increase in the tax levy?
6. How do changes in property values affect property taxes, especially during a tax freeze?
7. I pay my property taxes to my city. How does my check for property taxes get allocated to the various governmental units that it supports?
8. Are there alternatives to funding programs through property taxes, and what are they?
9. What is it about certain urban areas that creates a relatively high property tax?
10. In terms of revenue generated, where does property tax fit in relation to income tax and sales tax?
11. Are technical colleges really local and should they be funded with local dollars? In other words, does the junior or technical college pull students from around the state making it more appropriate to fund it with state tax dollars?
12. Property taxes paid on a vacation home do not fund the school district where the owner's children go to school. Has there ever been a proposal to match that revenue with the expenses related to the property owner?
13. What additional alternatives are we looking at to reduce the amount of property taxes that rise, due in particular to K-12 school funding? Given that they account for almost half of the property taxes levied and the increasing strain on our academic system, how can we better balance out the needs of students with the desires of homeowners?
14. The lottery credit seems somewhat insignificant compared to total lottery revenue generated throughout the year...why is that?
15. What are some best practices that other counties in the U.S. have adopted to keep property taxes in check? We are among the highest in the country with good schools, etc. but there are lots of counties in the country with good schools and services that don't pay as much in property tax as we do.
16. There seems to be a push/pull between new spending, which increases taxes, and efforts at property tax relief. How does one politically justify new spending when the new spending could result in property tax increases?
17. Is growth considered new spending? Does growth pay for itself?
18. Property taxes in our county are among the highest in the country. Why?
19. How does one politically justify the fact that for some 20 years property taxes have risen faster than home values and wages?
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.