Ralph Doty’s column today in the Budgeteer hearkens back to his halcyon days as a state senator when he helped usher in the “Minnesota Miracle.” This was a significant change in the funding of public education which put most of the burden on state income and sales taxes and reduced reliance of schools on locally raised property taxes.
He says:
You see, while I agree that the best tax is no tax at all (remember, taxes are the price we pay for civilization), the income tax is the fairest of all. If you don’t earn money, you don’t pay an income tax.
The most regressive is the property tax, because even if you’re out of work and have no income, or if you’re a retiree with limited income and you own a home, you must pay the tax.
Too bad Ralph has been a cheerleader for the Red Plan which boosted the regressive local property tax for residents of the Duluth School District an average of 56% in 2008 over 2007.
