Before I offer an explanation, let me say that tax equity (fairness) is not a fixed concept--no surprise there. Some think a flat tax is the way to go, while others want to see a comprehensive progressive wealth tax developed. Without agreeing on what fairness means, discussing the other parts gets tricky.
Removing the property value caps might lead to greater tax transparency, but it does little to promote greater (or lesser) tax fairness. If one thinks tax rates should be based solely on one's share of services used, eliminating the caps is probably a step in the right direction, though it is not a uniform, measureable improvement. On the other hand, if one thinks taxation should be based on one's ability to pay, eliminating the caps would probably be a bad deal. Even though some could afford to pay more, others couldn't, and would likely be forced to leave their homes. That's where some Minneapolitans would lose. I think a progressive tax system is a fair tax system, but the property-tax-cap debate is only a small part of a big, messy puzzle. We'd probably both agree that our tax system needs greater transparency: businesses should pay some taxes, but at what point do we tax businesses merely to avoid discussing the price tag we should be billing directly to citizens? At the same time, our tax system became more regressive last June. That's a problem for Minneapolis and the rest of the state as far as I can tell. Hope this helps, Dana Bacon Page neighborhood --- Terrell Brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Please explain why it will not lead to more > equitable taxation in Minneapolis. Am I correct in > reading that you expect it to be less equitable? > Why will it be? __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! GeoCities - quick and easy web site hosting, just $8.95/month. http://geocities.yahoo.com/ps/info1 _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
