In the Texas tax debate, the state is picking winners and losers | Opinion
But that is a different issue for another time. The state leadership has decided tax relief is the highest priority for the surplus. We should examine and debate what is being proposed.
Secondly — and this is a very important issue in our state that touches every school district and the quality of education being provided — if the state totally funds our local schools with a single state tax , then there is no logical or valid reason why the state should not fund every school district with an equal per pupil expenditure.After all, the revenue would go to the state and then the state would distribute to school districts.
Again, the surplus is a one-time expenditure. Where is the money going to come from in the future budget cycles? If taxes are not raised or economic growth is maintained at the current level, money would have to come from other state budget items. Highways, other forms of transportation, health care, police, border issues, electric grid, state employees, universities, community colleges, technical schools, justice system, prisons are all programs we have a responsibility to provide as a state.
The franchise tax does not directly affect school finance. The earnings go to the general revenue and eliminating part of the franchise tax reduces in the long term a revenue source for the state’s complete funding of maintenance and operations as proposed by Abbott. The loss of revenue in future budget cycles will have to be replaced by either growth in other State taxes or hopefully in continued economic growth.
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