Unfair tax rates; Richard Greene; Rangers’ ballpark
Unfair tax rates
A July 29 editorial (“Tarrant County cities should lower tax rates”) called on cities to lower their property tax rates to keep taxes about at their current level, given the recent rise in appraisals.
Conspicuously absent from that editorial was a call for lowering of property tax rates by school districts, which overwhelmingly account for the greatest part of the tax bill.
Schools should not be financed through property taxes, but through sales taxes or some other basis, preferably one that shifts more cost to those who actually use the school services and less to those who don’t.
It makes more sense to finance cities and counties through property taxes, because cities and counties provide services that actually benefit property owners (police, firefighters, road maintenance, water and sewer systems, sidewalks, etc.).
But school districts provide no such property-related services.
So you can end up with a situation in which people who use the least (or no) services from the school districts pay the most to support them, and those who use the most services pay the least.
Anyone who thinks logically (and without a hidden agenda) can agree that is grossly unfair — especially to senior citizens on a fixed income.
Mike Jones, Fort Worth
Richard Greene
Richard Greene likes Donald Trump’s approach to ISIS, but he didn’t explain what that approach is. (“Terrorism threat is high,” July 31)
Greene served in President George W. Bush’s administration. Many Middle East experts agree that Bush’s decision to invade Iraq is what led to the rise of ISIS.
Are we to believe that another gung-ho commander in chief would solve the problem with a boast to send them to hell? We do not need another misguided adventurer.
Irvin Robinson, Fort Worth
Rangers’ ballpark
Hurray for the strong, forceful, rapidly growing grassroots pushback against the absurd proposal to rush more truckloads of the people’s money to well-heeled baseball team owners.
Unjustified. The Rangers yelled “Jump!” and the Arlington City Council meekly responded, “How high?” Poor stewardship of the people’s hard-earned money.
Roger Summers, Arlington
This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Unfair tax rates; Richard Greene; Rangers’ ballpark."