Stop relying on local property taxes to fund the schools. That’s a US thing that isn’t replicated in most other well-off countries.
The closest thing Germany has to US-style annually-billed property tax is Grundsteuer, and for homeowners, it’s low triple digits at most. It pays for neighborhood streets, sidewalks, storm drains, and (I think) the fire department. We do pay a pretty hefty transfer tax when we buy property - I think it was about 5% of the purchase price, but that’s a one-time thing.
Schools are funded out of general revenues, mostly personal and corporate income taxes, assessed nationally. Each state has its own school system, with differing structures and standards.
What’s more, funding schools from local property taxes keeps the good schools in the rich communities and the bad schools in the poor communities. It prevents equality of opportunity. It is cynical, mean-spirited, and appalling.
I live in Australia. Here, there are no school districts, and local government has nothing to do with public schools - they are all state-run and funded out of the state government budget. The state government does rely in part on property taxes, but also has other revenue sources, so abolishing property tax wouldn’t have any direct impact on education funding here. I don’t see any inherent reason why a US state couldn’t adopt the same public education model.
I’m 100% in favor of recouping the money via other taxes. My motivation for being against property tax on primary residences is my belief that if you own a single family home free and clear, no one should be able to take it away from you simply because you don’t have any money.
Sure, why not. American public schools are terrible self-protecting bureaucratic monstrosities. I would be fine with scrapping their funding and reworking the whole system.
MandieD|2 years ago
The closest thing Germany has to US-style annually-billed property tax is Grundsteuer, and for homeowners, it’s low triple digits at most. It pays for neighborhood streets, sidewalks, storm drains, and (I think) the fire department. We do pay a pretty hefty transfer tax when we buy property - I think it was about 5% of the purchase price, but that’s a one-time thing.
Schools are funded out of general revenues, mostly personal and corporate income taxes, assessed nationally. Each state has its own school system, with differing structures and standards.
alasarmas|2 years ago
jerezzprime|2 years ago
skissane|2 years ago
staticautomatic|2 years ago
warkdarrior|2 years ago
whythre|2 years ago