Should home owners without children have to pay school tax? Why or Why not?

Question

Is it really right that an elderly married couple with children all in their 50's have to pay school tax?

What about a couple who are in their late 20's who can't have children? Should they have to pay a school tax?

alpete- Actually, I was inhome school which my parents pay for.

Fred C- The OLD couple are NOT in their 50's. They are the parents of children in their 50's.

ConcernedCitizen- Where I live, they actually do break down what your property taxes goes to. The school tax is about 50% of the property tax that we pay each year.

mamag- I am also from Texas so I know exactly what you mean by the Texas Lotto being a joke. 27% of the profits from the Texas Lotto are suppose to go to the schools. We all know that they are making a lot of $$$. The question is, where is it going?

Answer 1

We as homeowners are penalized with school taxes,with or without children. You can have a dozen children and rent instead of own and pay no school taxes.

The laws really need to be changed where if you have school age kids you should be the ones paying,in fact they would receive more revenue.

I pay school taxes every year and my son is 30 years old.

The Texas Lotto was also for the school districts and they say they have several billion for the schools, but still no break for the homeowners WITH NO SCHOOL AGE KIDS.

WHAT A CROCK!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

As far as I know, there is no such thing as a separate "school tax". Schools are just some of the many recipients of state tax money. That money also goes to pay for roads, public facilities, and many other things. There may be other things that are benefiting you but not the parents of those children in school. In the long run I think it all evens out. Can you imagine how chaotic taxpaying would be if everyone paid only for what they actually use? Would road taxes be paid only by those who own a car or by everyone who lives on a road? Would they pay different percentages? Would people cheat by lying about how much they drive? It's far simpler to just tax people equitably and use the money where it's needed.

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I also agree with the person above who pointed out that you received an education as a child and paying taxes as an adult is just a way of giving something back while helping the next generation to become productive citizens. I don't have any children and probably never will, but I don't mind paying to support education because I wouldn't be where I am without it.

Answer 3

School taxes should be paid by those who enroll children in public schools. Those without children are being penalized and those with many cause this imbalance. In addition, school taxes cost the tax payer more than half of the revenue collected. those who send their children to private schools are also being charged these taxes. Senior citizens should not pay one penny towards school taxes...this is a pathetic injustice to those who have had to pay these charges all their life. And to those who say the taxes balance out...when is the last time you looked at the percentage being spent on schools...try 60 to 72%! in addition, to those who feel that those seniors with substantial finances should pay anyway...Why?...because they were intelligent enough to be careful with lifetime spending and proper investments! How about those clowns who live in apartments and need a calculated to count their kids...they don't face this responsibility.
Hey...here's a clue...to the clueless...How many towns have a superintendent and a principal...with only one school in the district? Genius...so those who believe in these unfair charges...might think about going back to school and " really learn something this time"! You are the same p[eople who complain about someone parking oin front of your house...too long..Mr. Brain

Answer 4

School tax has to be a shared tax paid by all. However, I believe homeowners without children over 65 should be exempt up to a certain income level. A wealthy senior should continue to pay the education taxes, a low income senior should not. An educated poplulation benefits all of society. And please, people in their 50s aren't elderly!

Answer 5

I don't have any children. Everyone should have to pay the school tax because we are all better off with an educated populace. It saves us money in the long run. We all received an education at one point. Education is expensive and parents with children cannot afford to pay for it themselves alone. Like I said, we all benefit from it.

I couldn't agree with you more FBH. We need to reduce our emphasis on sports and improve math/science. But maybe it's too little, too late??
Companies are eager to hire from China and India because they are educated and they will work for less money. What other options do they have? The main benefit that we Americans have is our high productivity and our work ethic.

Answer 6

Ya know, as a father of 4 and a grandfather of 5, I don’t mind paying a “school tax”… what bothers me is; that the tax monies I pay are going for programs that are not advancing the upcoming generations what so ever. Our school systems are paying more for sports programs than they are the curriculum; like “sports” has been the reason our great nation has become the most dominant civilization known to mankind.

Our nation puts out about only 50K engineers per year and about half of them are from other countries! China however, produces approximately two hundred thousand engineers per year! I’m guessing is that none of “them” are migrating to the U.S. for employment.

Is it’s about sports or intellect now days?

I don't mind paying taxes, as long as they work for what they were intended for.

Answer 7

Yes, homeowners should be required to pay school tax. Whether or not one has children in school, the benefit received as a homeowner is the same. Good schools improve property values, giving that Elderly couple a chance to get a reverse mortgage and have a nicer income. Or building the equity in the 20 yr olds new home. Further, living near a school generally means you live in a safer neighborhood what with increased police patrols, not to mention that other emergency services are also located near the schools.

Answer 8

Real Estate 101:

Good schools raise home values

Poor schools lower home values

Paying taxes to help a school district is like ensuring the value of your greatest asset: your home.

Also, in many communities seniors over 65 can flile an exemption from paying school taxes.

Answer 9

Most states had advalorem Taxes that local governments charge for schools and streets, and such.. Not much choice really, If your home and property are in this Area you will pay for property taxes and Car tags. These taxes are paying for the schools..

Answer 10

There are many taxes that we pay that we do not reap DIRECT benefits from. Our taxes go to pay for many social programs -- TANF, for example, that many of use never use directly. The idea is that they promote the general social welfare. There is some truth to the notion that we all benefit from an educated populace. After all, they will be the leaders of the future, whether they are our own children or not. BTW, many states do allow a homestead exemption for elderly citizens that exempts much of the value of their property from taxation.