Property Rights will be improved through creating educational choice based on the withdrawal of consent.
The purpose of Public Schools is control, not education.
The issue of educational choice, and the related question of educational quality, is supremely important. Two proposed solutions fail to address the real problem, while also creating additional problems.
One proposal to address the issue is through the use of ‘tuition tax credits’; another is through “charter schools.”
A variable tax credit will leave taxpayers continually at the mercy of Republicans and Democrats. Varying levels of ‘tax credits’ will continually be manipulated to the detriment of everyone.
The problem with “charter schools” is that although they are currently marginally better than public schools, they are continually lowering their quality and amount to little more than a Trojan horse to end private schools altogether.
The problem was summed up by Ludwig Von Mises:
“The school thus becomes the source of irreconcilable national conflict and ‘a political prize of highest importance.’ With respect to the debate over compulsory education, Mises emphasizes, the only effective solution is to de-politicize schooling by abolishing both compulsory education laws and political involvement with schools, leaving the education of children “entirely to parents and to private associations and institutions”. Joseph Salerno, “Nation, Migration, and Trade,” pp. 14-15.
The proper solution therefore becomes obvious.
The basis for addressing the issues of school and property tax and educational choice is the withdrawal of consent.
Withdrawal of Consent,
the School Tax
and Educational Choice
1. If you never attended public schools, you never consented to them, and should be exempt from school tax.
2. If you attended public schools but have children in private schools instead, you will be exempt from the school tax for any first through 12th grade year that you have children in private schools.
The school tax resumes for these people after their children graduate, since they previously consented to the public school system through their previous attendance.
3. Businesses should NOT pay the school tax. Only individuals who have been or currently are part of the system should pay.
Businesses are not people and have therefore never consented. The school tax portion of the property tax should either be entirely eliminated immediately, or steadily reduced as part of a longer term complete phase out.
It is important to make a good start in this direction.
An example would be steady 5% or 10% reductions each year, for a minimum of 6 consecutive years. This will provide a large and steady tax reduction, improve business profitability, provide increased employment opportunities, and increase competition between localities.
Charter School Phase Out
Charter schools are currently taxpayer-funded.
Charter schools must move away from public funding and towards fully private funding.
An arithmetical progression will provide the foundation.
Charter schools taxpayer funding will be reduced by 1% per year for first 3 years, 2% per year for next 3 years, 3% for next 3 years, 4% for next 3 years, etc.
The charter schools will gradually raise the tuition charged, and also ask for private donations.
Funding for Grades K-12
Current taxpayer funding is the limit.
A. Cutting the Budget
Funding will be eliminated for the following expenses: Transportation, School Psychologist and Pensions.
Transportation in particular is a large and lucrative market requiring competition.
The purpose of a school psychologist is to protect teaching failures.
On the other hand, if a parent wants to send his child to a psychologist, they are free to do so and accept the cost. School employees are not qualified to make this judgement.
Pensions, when not required by law, should not be provided.
B. Ask graduates of the school, and others who live in the school district, for voluntary contributions to make up the revenue loss.
C. Reduce the number of employees
The U.S. Department of Education reports that since 1950, the number of K-12 public school students has increased 96%.
The number of public school teachers increased 243%.
The total number of public school employees has increased by 709%, according to the Heritage Foundation.
The Current System
of Property Assessments
Changes in Market Value
Yearly property tax assessments are based on ‘estimated market value of a property.’ Market values can fluctuate due to various factors, including the local real estate market, economic conditions, and recent sales of comparable homes.
In addition, improvements and alterations increase assessed value. You are penalized financially for improving your home.
All of these factors provide Republicans and Democrats excuses to raise your property tax without a vote.
Assessed Value
The major change is this. The assessed value should be the price you paid for the home. Period.
It will not constantly increase so Republicans and Democrats can perpetually raise our taxes without a vote.
This one item gives everyone a property tax cut.
State and local taxes should be cut at the state and local level.