> > One thing on the ballot was a provision that would allow local governments to freeze property taxes on the homes of people over 65. That means that senior citizens would no longer worry about tax increases, IF their local government agrees. You can guess how I voted on that.
> > Howard
>
> The use of "allow" caught my attention. Here in Colorado things are basically the exact opposite. It sounds like you folks could really use something along the lines of our Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. All levels of government in Colorado are allowed to cut tax rates all they want--they don't have to ask anybody's permission. On the other hand, they MUST ask permission to raise taxes, no matter how small the amount. Now you might think that no tax increase could possibly happen under these circumstances. Several have been approved, but only when they are targeted for a specific function. For example, two years ago Colorado Springs and some nearby governments teamed up and got one percent added to the sales tax. The money thus generated is used for transit needs, mainly road/highway work. It cannot be used for anything else. This particular tax was needed enough to get passed, because at this elevation, the freeze/thaw cycle is very hard on the roads, and the city was falling behind on maintenance. As long as a request for a tax increase is small, very specific, and has a definite end date, it has a reasonable chance of passing.

That sounds good to me. We mainly control taxes from the ballot box. Politicians who talk of raising taxes are not re-elected. We have a wicked sales tax because people think of it in terms of pennies. There is no state income tax. That gives the advantage to high income people and puts the burden on low income folks.

You have to watch that tax increase for a specific purpose. Many years ago, we had a one cent increase in the sales tax. It passed because they said it would all go to education, and parents and teachers worked hard to get it passed. Then the next year's budget showed that education really got that penny, but another penny was taken out of education and put in the highway budget. Net gain for education - zero.
Howard