Taxes and Constitutional Reform
Raise taxes - the real reason for constitutional reform.
| Read between the lines and discover the real reason behind Alabama's constitutional reform movement is to raise
taxes. From the Huntsville Times comes this eye-opener.
Alabama needs a level playing field to consider all forms of taxation. Some people who favor constitutional reform also favor tax reform. Some of those think the two things ought to be done at the same time. But even the ones who believe the two reforms ought to be separated agree on one point: Alabama's tax system is an indefensible mess, a mess that was created by the constitution of 1901. The Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama has issued one of its regular reports on the state's tax system. It has found the same thing that it has found every time it has looked at the issue: Alabama's tax burden per person is the lowest in America (despite the fact that Alabamians whine incessantly about high taxes), and the Alabama tax system is the nation's most unfair in that it takes more from working families than from others. State and local taxes, the study found, remain the lowest in America. Although Alabamians pay higher sales taxes than most people nationwide, they pay nothing close to the national average on property taxes. Indeed, PARCA found, if the state's per capita property tax burden were to be tripled, it would still be below the national average. The Alabama constitution of 1901 - the racist, class-oriented, special-interest document we struggle under - made it very hard for state and local government to impose property taxes. This was to protect the owners of industries, large farms and timber plantations. By the same token, the constitution of 1901 makes it very easy to impose sales taxes, and those are the taxes that hurt working families the most. In addition, an over reliance on sales and income taxes has left state and local government dangerously vulnerable to swings in the economy. That's why the $4 billion-plus education budget has been cut. What can be done? A new tax system would restore some balance. One way would be to lessen the impact of the state income tax on poor working families and pass more of it on to the wealthy. Another way would be to exempt groceries from the sales tax and replace the revenue with higher property taxes. In any case, doing those things is not easy, either legally or politically. But under a new constitution, all potential taxes could be evaluated on a level playing field. A reasonable and rational tax system would be easier to achieve. Although our tax system is not unlike what other Southern states have, ours is much, much worse, and we're paying the price with an economy that perennially trails the national average. A new constitution is no panacea. But at least it would give us a fighting chance. Letters to the Editor Suspicious chord I thought it interesting that Johnny Green equated opposing constitutional reform with greed in his op-ed piece titled ''On Jesus and constitutional reform,'' which The Times published in the April 8 Forum section. I fail to see the connection, unless you assume that Christian virtue can only be performed through a government program. If this is Green's assumption, then it's a very sad one. While I agree that we need a fresh, clean constitution, I'm reluctant to support a move for a new one because I already give up a sizable percentage of my income in federal and state taxes. This would also open the door wide open to a liberal and attorney free-for-all to raise taxes even higher, and set up the state government to be even more irresponsible than it is now. I don't see this as greedy; I see it as self-preservation. Why do I need government to do good deeds for my fellow man, anyway? In fact, if my federal and state taxes were lowered rather than raised, I would have more freedom to do acts of kindness than I do now. I do not know Green personally, but this article portrays a large amount of arrogance. By what authority does he pronounce me guilty of greed because I don't want to pay more taxes, i.e., do Christian deeds in his prescribed way and no other? While his article strikes a chord, it is one of suspicion, not of repentance. Michael B. Moore Owens Cross Roads |
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