Without making recommendations, this pamphlet compares Massachusetts taxes with those of other States, projects major tax revenues, compares growth experience of major taxes, considers the incidence of various taxes on high and low income groups, examines recent tax legislation, shows what revenues could be expected with changed tax rates, and…

This booklet, prepared by the Michigan senate fiscal agency, explains new amendments to the state constitution that establish tax and expenditure limitations on state and local government in the state. The purpose of the report is to help legislators implement the new law. The first part of each section analyzes the constitutional language of the…

Defines the value-added tax and examines it in light of equity, economic effects, cost of administration, and stability and yield. Compares the tax with the property tax and suggests alternative ways in which States and the Federal Government may participate in the financing of education. (DN)

Argues that press coverage has been misleading regarding the Rodriguez and the Serrano vs. Priest cases, thus creating confusion over the basic issues of school finance. (Author/JN)

Findings of a study that determined the relationship between property taxes and individual adjusted gross income and that examined the feasibility of using these data to define an "income wealth" measure by school district are presented in this paper. Illinois Department of Revenue computer tapes for the tax years 1986-88 were analyzed;…

This report summarizes the status of states' budgets at the end of fiscal year 1997. The year's strong national economy boosted tax revenues and helped to decrease welfare rolls. Unemployment at the end of 1997 was below 5 percent nationally and real GDP growth was 3.5 percent for the first 3 quarters of the year. These indicators translate into…

The effects of tax deductibility on American education are discussed in this report, which is based on the premise that alteration by the Federal Government of the deduction for state and local taxes will exacerbate taxpayer resistance and increase cuts in public services, ultimately undercutting public support for education. The discussion offers…

Noting that a state's tax policies have direct impact on a family's ability to feed, clothe, house, educate, and care for its children, this report presents an overview of taxes in the state of Pennsylvania. The report is presented in five sections. Section 1 presents the argument that it is necessary to understand the rule driving the revenue…

Alternative methods for taxing the mineral industry at the State level include four types of taxes: the ad valorem tax, severance tax, gross production tax, and net production tax. An ad valorem tax is a property tax levied on a mineral deposit's assessed value and due whether the deposit is being worked or not. The severance tax is usually an…

This report is designed to familiarize the reader with current changes in State systems of public school finance. It describes in summary form the major school finance changes made in 1973 by Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Wisconsin. State legislative sessions in these States produced…

This paper provides background information relating to a school finance reform movement in Utah and describes the passage of a 1973 bill that provides a power equalizing system to redistribute excess revenue from local taxes in combination with State uniform school funds for a guaranteed program to all districts. The law should bring the level of…

Nine experts examine the nature and administration of the property tax, analyzing its effects on educational opportunity, land use, racial residential patterns, central city finance, neighborhood deterioration, and low income housing. The so-called circuit-breaker, a form of property tax relief that has rapidly come into widespread use, is viewed…

The fourth report in a series on school finance describes how state school finance formulas are differentiated and the calculations used to measure local need, wealth, and effort. The following topics are addressed: (1) criteria for evaluating state school finance programs; (2) origins of state school aid formulas; (3) operation of equalization…

The study reported in this document examined Connecticut's present system for financing public education and analyzed alternative systems. On the basis of study findings, some conclusions are presented in this report concerning (1) the total fiscal system within which Connecticut finances its schools, (2) fiscal disparities in the established…