Pay more attention to 'regressive' tax policies

We most often contemplate tax policy alternatives as either "progressive" or "fixed rate." We need to pay more attention to the "regressive" nature of tax policy we commonly call property tax. This tax disproportionately affects lower income homeowners (and renters as well).

For homes of equal value, the property tax is generally the same, even though household incomes can be widely different, making the effective tax rates against income widely different. For example, a household with $60,000 annual income will pay at five times the tax rate against income that a household would pay with $300,000 income.

Sadly, when tax levels defeat a homeowner's ability to pay, the state or county can assume control of the home. It is like not paying a mortgage. Owners are moved out and family belongings left behind are moved to the curb for trash pickup. I assume this is a rare instance, but it is rare only because anybody who understands the policy is going to do everything to avoid it.

The other side of this issue is the reason for the tax. Close to 75% of our property tax is for school system operating costs. I believe the costs are exorbitantly high - a fact of life imposed by educators, their unions and self-serving politicians.

The whole thing looks like a cabal, a socialist society, draining the county and state of resources. It is a system independent of free market principles that seem desperately needed.

Peter Wohld

Glen Ellyn