Wait 'til next year for reform?The news: House Bill 750--which would shift some of the school funding burden from property taxes by increasing income taxes and expanding the state's sales taxes sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. while reducing local property taxes--has stalled stall 1 n. 1. A compartment for one domestic animal in a barn or shed. 2. a. A booth, cubicle, or stand used by a vendor, as at a market. b. in the General Assembly. Behind the news During the 2005-2006 school year, the state's share of school funding declined for the fourth year in a row and stood at its lowest point in a decade, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a Chicago Reporter analysis. Some argue that the state's reliance on property taxes hurts property-poor districts that can't generate sufficient local revenue and can't attract the necessary residential or commercial development because of high property tax rates. Some blame Gov. Rod Blagojevich Milorad Blagojevich, commonly known as Rod R. Blagojevich (pronounced IPA: [blə.ˈgɔɪ.ə.ˌvɪtʃ] listen for the standstill standstill /stand·still/ (stand´stil?) cessation of activity, as of the heart (cardiac s.) or chest (respiratory s.) . stand·still n. Complete cessation of activity or progress. because he refuses to sign any legislation that raises taxes. "If the governor would back off of this veto veto [Lat.,=I forbid], power of one functionary (e.g., the president) of a government, or of one member of a group or coalition, to block the operation of laws or agreements passed or entered into by the other functionaries or members. In the U.S. , we would pass this with bipartisan support," said Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and an author of the bill. According to a poll conducted earlier this year on behalf of Citizen Action/Illinois, a public-interest organization, about 66 percent of 617 Illinois registered voters favored increasing income taxes while reducing property taxes to boost state support for schools and colleges. Gerardo Cardenas, Blagojevich's press secretary, said the governor's threat of a veto is a moot point moot point n. 1) a legal question which no court has decided, so it is still debatable or unsettled. 2) an issue only of academic interest. (See: moot) because the sponsors of HB 750 couldn't get the bill past the second reading, let alone to the governor's desk. "It fails because its numbers are way off," he said. Either way, the fight is not over. "The problem's not going to go away," said Clare Fauke, communications coordinator for A+ Illinois, a school education advocacy organization pushing for funding reform. "And we're not going to pack up and go home if we don't get it done this year." Property tax dependent In 2005-2006, the state's share of education spending reached its lowest mark since the 1996-1997 school year, while local sources--mostly from property tax revenue--provided nearly 65 percent of public education funding, its highest share since the 1997-1998 school year. Public education funding from state sources 1995-96 27.3%-27.2% 2001-02 31.2% 2005-06 27.5% Note: Table made from line graph. |
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