Seriously, should we “junk school tax break for Cobb seniors” as a recent letter to the editor-writer suggested? This is being mentioned more frequently and is another threat by trial balloon. Most senior citizens have paid school taxes for decades. Some are and were without children in the school system. Some own commercial property and while they do not pay the school tax on their residence, they continue to pay through that property tax and it is likely on a much higher value than their home. Some are on fixed incomes and have been hit with higher Cobb County property taxes and higher food, utility and clothing prices. Many seniors live alone with little money to spare.
To suggest this would solve the Cobb School Board budget problems is ridiculous. All this would do would give the school board more money to squander. When 90 percent of your budget is for personnel and their benefits, it does not take a rocket scientist to know that changes have to be made in this area to resolve the problem. Board member Tim Schultz recognized this and was ignored while the board passed another budget that will take an additional $7.1 million from the reserve funds. What will they do next year? And the year after that? Of course, raise taxes!
Paulette Rucinski
Senior Citizen/Property & Small Business Owner
Marietta
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The bad spending decisions of the school board do not affect the retired folks since they are exempt from paying this tax. Thus, we do not have them policing the CCSB the way they do the County Commission. This is a shame. And it is costing Cobb county dearly.
Oh...NO I am not saying the retired folks should be paying the tax...just pointing out what I think is a good point made by someone smarter than me.
I agree with your post!
Those who are struggling to meet the badly managed budget of the Cobb schools are reaching out and seeking revenue, regardless of the impact on the community. The elderly are an easy target for them.
The elderly are the ants. They worked and lived frugally for years. They know how to live within a budget. They did not and do not extend their indebtedness to satisfy short term pleasure.
So, since no good deed should go unpunished, why don't we take from them? I mean, after all, they have homes and incomes. Who cares how much and or how hard they worked to reach that goal. All we need to know is they look like a good group on which we can impose the will of the younger residents who are accustomed to instant gratification. Let's do it. It is just an extension of the class warfare we see in America today.
Once, many moons ago in another land, but still in America, my brother-in -law, a recent Harvard grad, at that time, said that all older people should not be allowed to remain in their big houses and get tax exemptions,(Yes, Dorothy, even Massachusetts has tax exemptions for seniors). He felt it unfair to the younger, up and coming folks, who would like to live closer to their jobs. An, oh yes, the younger folks would pay the full tax burden. Isn't that magnificent??