Teachers’ Union Is Leery of Effort to Limit Taxes

New York Times ^ | January 11, 2008 | Danny Hakim

[reaganaut1]

ALBANY — Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s plan to contain the rising property taxes that support New York’s schools could mean a confrontation with the state’s largest teachers’ union, whose president said on Thursday he was wary of a new commission leading the effort.

...

Mr. Spitzer raised eyebrows in his speech when he said the new commission would be vested with powers from the Moreland Act, a century-old law giving commissions subpoena power in investigations of government entities. It will allow the commission to dig into a variety of information related to school district spending, including the costs of energy, administration and labor.

“It’s kind of threatening,” said Timothy G. Kremer, executive director of the New York State School Boards Association. “Is there information that was kept secret?”

...

Soaring property taxes have crippled homeowners and businesses across the state. A recent study by the Citizens Budget Commission, a government watchdog group, said New York’s property taxes were the seventh highest in the country.

New York City’s homeowners are insulated from the issue because the city uses an income tax to carry much of the burden of school financing; the city would likely be excluded from a cap.

The governor and his staff have become increasingly frustrated that billions of dollars in new education aid and property tax relief returned to homeowners through the School Tax Relief program, known as STAR, only seemed to give districts license to raise taxes further.

“We need stronger medicine,” the governor said in his speech. The Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, the Legislature’s top Democrat, was generally supportive. “No matter how much more STAR we do, somehow local property taxes keep going up around the state,” he said.

[sportutegrl]

These property tax rebate (star) programs are a joke. They always result in tax increases that usually swallow the rebate and then some. Usually they are the same fixed amount for everyone, whether you are paying 500 or 10000 per year in taxes, you get the same puny 100 rebate. Here in Pennsylvania, they even figured out a way to give the 'rebate' money to seniors who don't even pay property taxes. All 'low income seniors' get a 'property tax rebate', even if they are renters.

Democrats don't want to admit that these rebates never work. True tax reform will come when taxpayers can vote on tax increases and when caps are set on millages.

[Dark Wing]

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[Cacique]

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