Relief for Roanoke County schools
Supervisors and legislators should support a request to boost the meals tax to bolster the education budget.
Roanoke County leaders need more money for their schools, and a solution is staring them in the face.
Unfortunately, they’ll still need to take a road trip to Richmond to make it happen.
November 5, 2012 - 6:20 AM
I think the meals tax is a great idea. We have the best school system in the country right here in Roanoke County and we want to keep it that way.
This should only be considered if and only if all unnecessary expenditures are cut from the budget. Not niceties, things that are not necessary to education. Any “scoial service” functions should be budgeted and funded as such and not through the education budget.
Once again, the RTEB….never met a tax they didn’t like.
Has it ever occured to those that promote (increasing) such taxes why there is a budget shortage? By definition the powers that be are spending too much, and/or tax revenues fall short due to lower than expected economic activity (tax base).
Once again, the “solution”?….raise the tax rate. Pray tell, how does taxing activity increase the tax base?
It doesn’t. Ir reduces it. Necessitating future tax rate increse.
A secondary issue, to the economic one, is the control factor. No, I don’t see Roanoke County in black helocopters, but the idea of greater government & higher control of individuals through taxation….is another concept the RTEB has never (rarely) disliked.
Do you think the county is spending too much on its schools? What would you cut?
Christina….my manifest point was not whether RO CO spends too much on schools, but a broader point of, not just the immediate nature of raising revenue, but longer term sustainability.
If this increase is not enough, then what? How many increases in the meals taxes before the goose lays no more golden eggs? If economic activity already does not produce “needed” revenue….what is the ultimate end of further reducing such avtivity? Other than higher (and higher) taxes? A vicious cycle.
As to your questions….yes, to your first. As to your second, it is predicated by the first, as it is the manifest question.