antoinekhuu
30 March 2006, 12:08 PM
Reform may cut property taxes
11:44 PM CST on Wednesday, March 29, 2006
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA-TV
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa060329_mo_taxreform.734593c0.html
WFAA-TV
While homeowners may find their property taxes dropping, smokers might find taxes on cigarettes rising. Also Online
Brad Watson reports
Calculate the estimated taxes on your property
While Texas homeowners could see their property taxes cut by a third, smokers may see taxes on cigarettes jump in a plan unveiled by Governor Perry.
The property tax cut is the center of a plan announced Tuesday to reform how the state funds schools.
To help pay for the cut, cigarette taxes would jump a dollar a pack and some business loopholes would close. Also, the governor said he wants one billion dollars from the state surplus.
On their lunch break to enjoy a smoke, Brandon Reed and Willie Rocker said they are against paying higher cigarette taxes.
"You got other things you can tax on that make more money than cigarettes," Reed said.
Rocker, however, admits a tax increase could lead to better health.
"I might just stop smoking then," he said. "I ain't going to pay no extra dollar."
But just outside the office building where he works, Blake Elshire said not all smokers are against a bigger cigarette tax.
"I'm willing to support education as much as possible, so another dollar really wouldn't hurt me that much," he said.
But while smokers would pay more in the new plan, homeowners would pay less.
Coming out of the appraisal district office where she picked up some paperwork, homeowner Brenda Costilla said she likes the sound of that.
"That's good," she said. "I need that. We need that."
Costilla would see the school tax bill on her Duncanville home drop $500, which is down to $1,000 a year.
"It would be used for other expenses that we have sometimes, child care [and] other stuff you know," she said. "It just takes away from your other stuff that improves on your home..."
Sales taxes would not go up under this plan, but the business tax would be rewritten to close loopholes that now allow most businesses to avoid paying it.
The restaurant industry is the biggest private employer in Texas and many believe the revised business tax would not threaten jobs or job growth.
"The proposed tax in conjunction with the property tax reduction, it works out to pretty much a wash from the way that we have looked at all the numbers," said Frank Barnard, Greater Dallas Restaurant Association.
E-mail bwatson@wfaa.com
11:44 PM CST on Wednesday, March 29, 2006
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA-TV
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa060329_mo_taxreform.734593c0.html
WFAA-TV
While homeowners may find their property taxes dropping, smokers might find taxes on cigarettes rising. Also Online
Brad Watson reports
Calculate the estimated taxes on your property
While Texas homeowners could see their property taxes cut by a third, smokers may see taxes on cigarettes jump in a plan unveiled by Governor Perry.
The property tax cut is the center of a plan announced Tuesday to reform how the state funds schools.
To help pay for the cut, cigarette taxes would jump a dollar a pack and some business loopholes would close. Also, the governor said he wants one billion dollars from the state surplus.
On their lunch break to enjoy a smoke, Brandon Reed and Willie Rocker said they are against paying higher cigarette taxes.
"You got other things you can tax on that make more money than cigarettes," Reed said.
Rocker, however, admits a tax increase could lead to better health.
"I might just stop smoking then," he said. "I ain't going to pay no extra dollar."
But just outside the office building where he works, Blake Elshire said not all smokers are against a bigger cigarette tax.
"I'm willing to support education as much as possible, so another dollar really wouldn't hurt me that much," he said.
But while smokers would pay more in the new plan, homeowners would pay less.
Coming out of the appraisal district office where she picked up some paperwork, homeowner Brenda Costilla said she likes the sound of that.
"That's good," she said. "I need that. We need that."
Costilla would see the school tax bill on her Duncanville home drop $500, which is down to $1,000 a year.
"It would be used for other expenses that we have sometimes, child care [and] other stuff you know," she said. "It just takes away from your other stuff that improves on your home..."
Sales taxes would not go up under this plan, but the business tax would be rewritten to close loopholes that now allow most businesses to avoid paying it.
The restaurant industry is the biggest private employer in Texas and many believe the revised business tax would not threaten jobs or job growth.
"The proposed tax in conjunction with the property tax reduction, it works out to pretty much a wash from the way that we have looked at all the numbers," said Frank Barnard, Greater Dallas Restaurant Association.
E-mail bwatson@wfaa.com