Should the Childless Pay School Tax?
"I never had any kids," says a 64 year old taxpayer, "so why should I pay school tax?"
"My kids are grown, so why must I still pay school tax?" queries a middle aged parent.
"I no longer have kids in this county's school system," says a divorced father of two, whose kids live with his ex in another state. "So why am I still paying school tax for them?"
This has got to be one of the most selfish arguments I've heard.
However, cynic that I am, I'd like to propose that from now on, non-parents should be allowed to apply for a waiver that exempts them from having to pay school tax. By their own definition, they don't gain anything because they have no offspring in the school system, so they can be excused. Let all the people who HAVE kids pay a little extra for that benefit.
But in order to qualify, these non-parents must wear a t-shirt that says, in big bold letters, "I HAVE NO SCHOOL CHILDREN, SO I WILL NOT PAY ANY SCHOOL TAXES."
Then maybe the public can help to explain to them why EVERYBODY should pay school taxes.
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posted by The Sarcasticynic @ 6/08/2007 07:47:00 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Across the board people seem opposed to raising taxes (which Wake has been doing) across the board. However, a few comments from the childless/elderly [1] population of Wake that people with children should pay more taxes for public education has met with a variety of letters to the editor.
Rather stupid letters to be frank or perhaps more appropriately generic. Of course it has been mentioned (and continuously so!) that taxes go to things we don't utilize all the time to pointing out that these people are just lousy citizens. What becomes problematic is that everything that is being listed are things that everyone no matter the age will use or might use. I've never had to call the fire department but I might have to. I consistently tend the library. I drive on the roads, etc.
But as a 23-year-old woman I'm never going to attend elementary school again. My public education in that sense is finished. So of course there's the argument that I should have to pay for my own public education, which I had and other people paid taxes for. (I hate these arguments because it seems like little more than saying, "So there!".) I don't think we shouldn't fund public education but it's also no secret that public education in areas with high senior populations often do not get tax levies passed.
As a citizen you should have some basic awareness to where your taxes are going and how it's serving you. Maybe you don't call the police but it's pretty reassuring that they are there. When it comes to school taxes and public education the childfree/less should not take this one sitting down. In Wake where everyone seems to agree that school funding is misused why aren't more people showing up at the school board meetings or even running for the positions? Make your voice heard.
As far as being childless/free, this is a comment on our own public education system because as a country we have (not unanimously) determined that public, free education stops at the 12th grade. But being childfree/less, why not approach the high school to also address classes for an older population even if a small fee exists? Evening computer classes? Weekend painting courses? Sponsoring an after school book club? Even if you don't like children there are plenty of times when children are not present. That is, if you feel this is a service you are never going to utilize and that will never benefit you why not attempt to bring the system about to help you?
While I'm not personally familiar with the Wake county school systems I'm also aware of great imbalances within school systems. Even in Ohio when you go from rural, to suburban, to urban it's literally frightening to see the difference and exactly where the money is going. Paying taxes for a school that sports the best gym facilities and technologically savvy equipment should still allow some time for you to utilize this. Granted, this starts to overrun onto problems with funding education overall but I do believe at the local level the childless/free should be able to take advantage of this.
Now, if the childless show up at the steps of a school or at a board meeting and are ill met or not listening to because they don't have children then a problem does exist where I would not want to support taxes for the school. [2]
[1] I believe they're using childless to refer to anyone without a kid currently underfoot.
[2] I understand that every school is very different and some schools can barely/not even support what they're currently doing. This is mostly in response to the school systems I've experienced and what sounds like a similar situation to Wake.
I could claim that the war department (or department of defense, or whatever they call it now) doesn't help me. And I don't need to pay for anything the president decides to fund because my vote doesn't count; electors decide for me. (I'm 16, so I don't vote or pay taxes, but that's irrelevant. In two years time this argument will hold true.)
PD, there are certainly a lot of people who would like NOT to have any part in paying for war effort if they had the choice.
How our Social Security works, everyone should want to pay for school children's education, because they are paying for the students to get higher paying jobs to pay for their own retirement.
Good point, Todd. I'd not thought of that.
I am against paying school tax. Any moron can pop out 6 kids and leave the bill to those that can barely afford to drive to their $7 an hour job. Having kids when you have no money is selfish. Having kids and leaving it to the State to provide for them is selfish. Having kids and leaving the bill to those that actually saved hard for a house and have mortgage payments is a sin. I can't afford to buy quality food or fill up my gas tank, but I'm forced to pay school tax - there is something wrong here. Any chance these lovely parents could fill my tank for me - since they have all my money - sorry the teachers have it. It must be a great feeling to make such a selfish decision, as having kids, knowing that some other sucker will pick up the tab - Oh, I may as well have kids, they rationalize - the education is free ha ha. Maybe taxpayers should be allowed to say to people - you already have 1 snotty nosed brat that we have paid to educate - maybe that's enough. You pay for subsequent spegcats. The sheer audacity of these people to want to reproduce is what gets me. Can't they read their bank statements - doesn't the fact that they own a beat up 30 year old Chevy give them pause enough to say "maybe its unwise to procreate" - and the thinking is that their kids will actually do better! Ha. Its called canon fodder - pure and simple. Or the reason is "well I'm bored - but I'll be really happy if I have this cute little baby - its so cute!" Well no - it actually just crapped all over your arm - but that's beside the point. Only people who qualify should be allowed to procreate - people with $100,000 in savings for example that must be used for education. Parents should earn the right. The rest of these sperm and egg catastrophies should donate to charities that support the Billions of children that starve every year through lack of food and clean water instead. Now that WOULD be Christian. On the other hand intellectuals should be paid to have children. Really - college educated with money in the bank and good jobs should be paid to procreate. Wonderful - and no school tax! On the other hand stupid retards (and that is what they are) should be paid a yearly bonus not to procreate. Let's call it beer and hot dog money. Ok - you're a loser - crap job, no money, paying rent, crap car, no prospects - ok we're going to do you a big favor - we'll pay you to stay childless. This is not naziism by the way - which was race based - this is intelligence based - so don't be confused. Let's pay these halfwits to jerk into a cup instead of producing the dysfunctional refuse that is being offered up to us on a generational basis. Its really self indulgent for losers to procreate - to have the audacity to want to replicate themselves for future generations to endure. And let's not be mistaken - losers are self-made. Losers make bad choices. Losers have no control. Losers are weak, lazy and represent the perfect petrie dish for producing mutant loser offspring. And we wonder why the jails are filled to capacity. Gee - its not a coincidence.... Well you can bet McDonalds doesn't want the status quo to change - and you can bet Walmart doesn't either. That's right we need a big dumb bunch of cows to consume all in their path, pollute the atmosphere, get fat, watch crap tv, spit out oodles of kids - then consume some more. That's fine - I just don't want to have to pay for it. Ok - so I hope I have made my point - that being - procreation is not a right - its a privilege. Just like a car license, you should qualify. When people wake up and realize that Corporate America runs Washington they may also realize that producing less children of a higher quality with parents that can afford to educate them will actually benefit the community. Perhaps we could even break the cycle of poverty and psychiatric trauma that plagues communities. But the corporate ethos doesn't want that. And all that money wasted by taxpayers on schooling spegcats could be put to better use such as savings accounts, health insurance, investing in the stock market, paying down credit card debt and saving the deposit for a home. Oh yeh - I have no health insurance - but I pay a couple of thousand a year in school taxes - that's fair. And how much better off these families will be that couldn't actually afford children - they will be free to have good lives, be debt free, own a house - go out for dinner - go to a movie - save money on video games - buy a hybrid. And I'll have money for gas - and steak once a month! Now don't you bother trying to vilify me over this educated prose because you know what I'm saying is true. We don't have to settle for a dumbed down country. There is another problem though - teachers will have to find real jobs - and they aint gonna like that. Remember those that can't - teach - those that can't teach, teach gym.... thanks JB.
As long as families stop getting tax breaks for each child they have. You can't have it both ways.
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