A recent report by the Texas Public Policy Foundation suggests that property taxes for education could be cut in half in as little as eleven years. The proposal calls for a combination of reducing the growth in spending and increasing other taxes (such as the state sales tax). But increasing other taxes simply shifts the financial burden to a different group of individuals and is nothing more than a shell game.
There is a much “simpler” way to reduce, and even eliminate, taxes for education–abolish government schools.
Of course, this is not a simple solution. Many entrenched groups would fight any attempt to get government out of the education business. As evidence, consider the reaction to proposals such as school vouchers and school choice. The government school lobby vociferously condemns any attempt to give parents and students more educational freedom or lessen the burden on taxpayers.
The arguments against more freedom in education are familiar: education is a right, the poor won’t be able to afford quality education, and there is no accountability in a private system. But the facts explode all of these myths.
To learn how private individuals and businesses can and do provide quality education, click here to download “A Lesson in Private Education,” a chapter from Individual Rights and Government Wrongs, for free.