08.20.07
Texas, Taxes And Gambling
Keep the issues below in mind:
Texas Has Above Average Needs, but Below Average Fiscal Effort.
Texas ranks 49th in health care.
Texas is not doing well wit public education either.
And, of course, around here we all know about having to use “innovative methods” of paying for our transportation infrastructure because of the neglect it’s suffered over the last 15 years.
When you read this, Texas manages to avoid income tax, gambling.
(Quick aside: While casino gambling is not the ideal way to fund our government, unless some other option is utilized, say a state income tax, casino gambling is an inevitability. It’s too easy and option for most politicians. Especially as long as we have Republicans in charge).
Many states look at Texas through crossed eyes when it comes to casino gambling, but regardless of how others perceive our priorities, the Lone Star State stands rather tall when comparisons are made with other states.
Tall if all that’s being measured is how little businesses and the wealthy pay in taxes. Because, not only does Texas have extremely low taxes on the wealthy, the less one makes in Texas the higher thier taxes will be.
Many states wonder how Texas possibly could avoid both and survive.
Texas is surviving, but it’s not living well, that’s for sure.
So, the best way to keep Texas from having casino gambling and a state income tax is to keep the state economically strong and keep businesses continually moving into our state. Otherwise, what’s considered a vice today may be a necessity tomorrow. Desperation is the route to the two great evils and it looks like most of the nation already has given in to the lure of easy cash.
It’s obvious where the allegiances the MWT stands. As long as businesses are willing to come here and pay little in taxes, and they will be because the tax abatements and exemptions they receive taxes, Texas will be fine.
As far as the MWT is concerned the “great twin satans” are casino gambling and a state income tax. They’re not too worried that Texas has one of the highest property taxes in the country. Texas also has one of the highest sales taxes in the nation too. The sales tax is one of the most regressive - hits low earners harder - taxes there is. A simple, sane, and fair state income tax would drastically lower property taxes, and do away with the need to even consider casino gambling, and give us the ability to fund our public schools as they should be funded.
It’s disheartening to see an editorial like the one in the MWT. It’s not what’s said, so much, as what’s left unsaid. In the editorial there is no mention of the neglect of our children’s education, all health care in the state, and our transportation infrastructure. If our current tax structure was taking care of our citizens needs, that would be one thing, but it isn’t. And that’s what makes the absence of it in the MWT editorial so galling.