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>> As a Californian I find it quite ironic that many policies in “conservative” Texas (ex. university admissions, property tax, income tax) are more much more p

>> As a Californian I find it quite ironic that many policies in “conservative” Texas (ex. university admissions, property tax, income tax) are more much more progressive than what we have in “liberal” California. There isn't much that is progressive about property taxes. They affect the middle class much more than the poor (who often aren't homeowners) and the rich (who can afford high tax rates). Texas specifically has some of the highest property taxes in the nation, and that's in part because we have no income tax. Income taxes, though, are actually progressive. Note that Texas's high property tax rates is one of the significant contributors to gentrification.

jmclnx 5y ago
> Income taxes, though, are actually progressive. For some states it is a flat rate, I know of one. But to me is the largest issue is funding for public schools and quality. At one time you would leave high-school with an education that was similar to what you get now in a 4 year college. These days all we are doing is running a kind-of day care until the public school student leaves to work at McDonalds in the afternoon once the School Day ends. I also remember some Profs saying in many cases, the first year of collage is a re-education of what the student should already know.
zozbot234 5y ago
> They affect the middle class much more than the poor (who often aren't homeowners) and the rich (who can afford high tax rates) Absolutely not. The burden of property taxes falls largely on the capitalized asset-value of real estate, so a typical middle-class household can offset much of that burden by paying for a smaller mortgage in the first place. And poor renters largely benefit by not having to pay local income or sales taxes, since the burden of the tax will fall on their landlords. Property taxes are in fact quite progressive.
- enraged_camel 5y ago
  Property taxes are fundamentally regressive because if two individuals in the same tax jurisdiction live in properties with the same values, they pay the same amount of property tax, regardless of their incomes. That's the literal distinction between progressive and regressive taxation. The fact that the middle class household can offset the burden by getting a smaller place is quite irrelevant. In addition, it's erroneous to think that property taxes are shouldered by landlords. They are, in fact, passed on to renters.
- anonuser123456 5y ago
  >And poor renters largely benefit by not having to pay local income or sales taxes, since the burden of the tax will fall on their landlords. This is not how the rental business works. Property tax is simply a cost passed on to the renter.

jmclnx 5y ago

> Income taxes, though, are actually progressive. For some states it is a flat rate, I know of one. But to me is the largest issue is funding for public schools and quality. At one time you would leave high-school with an education that was similar to what you get now in a 4 year college. These days all we are doing is running a kind-of day care until the public school student leaves to work at McDonalds in the afternoon once the School Day ends. I also remember some Profs saying in many cases, the first year of collage is a re-education of what the student should already know.

zozbot234 5y ago

> They affect the middle class much more than the poor (who often aren't homeowners) and the rich (who can afford high tax rates) Absolutely not. The burden of property taxes falls largely on the capitalized asset-value of real estate, so a typical middle-class household can offset much of that burden by paying for a smaller mortgage in the first place. And poor renters largely benefit by not having to pay local income or sales taxes, since the burden of the tax will fall on their landlords. Property taxes are in fact quite progressive.

enraged_camel 5y ago
Property taxes are fundamentally regressive because if two individuals in the same tax jurisdiction live in properties with the same values, they pay the same amount of property tax, regardless of their incomes. That's the literal distinction between progressive and regressive taxation. The fact that the middle class household can offset the burden by getting a smaller place is quite irrelevant. In addition, it's erroneous to think that property taxes are shouldered by landlords. They are, in fact, passed on to renters.
anonuser123456 5y ago
>And poor renters largely benefit by not having to pay local income or sales taxes, since the burden of the tax will fall on their landlords. This is not how the rental business works. Property tax is simply a cost passed on to the renter.