This is a class discussion post that needs to be approximately 2-5 paragraphs in length. 

***Discussion Post should be followed accordingly each question asked needs to be answered.

********I will post the students response below.  With the Student response it should be 1 paragraph in length reply to the students disccusion.

ALL QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ANSWERED!!!!

ALL QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ANSWERED!!!!

ALL QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ANSWERED!!!!

ALL QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ANSWERED!!!!

ALL QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ANSWERED!!!!

ALL QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ANSWERED!!!!

********************Discussion Post*****************

Consider the following scenario:  

A proposed amendment to the Georgia State Constitution will eliminate the current county-based property tax system and replace it with a statewide property tax system.  

Would you support / vote for this amendment?  What factors are important for you in considering this issue?

************************ Student Response #1 ***************************

I would support this amendment. While there may be concern that a statewide system would limit scope and possibly transparency, there is always a possibility that closeness to a circumstance can cause blindness to factors that would appear as obvious concerns from an outside perspective. The reality that there is “always a possibility” of anything does not automatically mean that an alteration is called for, of course, but in this case it isn’t a bad thing. Local governments should have a voice in what occurs in the places that they represent, of course. In Chapter 13 of State and Local Government, Bowman and Kearney assert that “Altering the unequal distribution of property values is essentially beyond the control of local governments. As a result, ‘wealthy suburbs remain wealthy, poor communities remain poor, and services remain unequal.'” The property tax levied always varies to a large degree in different counties or cities. Circuit breakers have been set in place in order to reduce this inequity and promote fairness, but these efforts can only go so far and frequently make little impact; the difference in property values “have important implications for the quality and distribution of services.” Proposition 13 was enacted due to the rapid increase in property taxes levied on California residents; according to the text, some elderly citizens were “forced to sell their homes to pay their property tax.” When California enacted Proposition 13 and stepped in on behalf of the local governments, they “dropped from the eighth-highest property tax state to the twenty-eighth.” One of the biggest problems with property taxes is the difficulty that comes with the appraisal process; if there was a statewide property tax system, the local government would not have to shoulder this burden. 

************************ Student Response #2 ***************************

No, I wouldn’t vote for this amendment to be put in place. I believe the county-based property tax system is put in place for a reason and is working for us already, so why try to fix it? County’s set the rate of taxes and receive the revenue from that, therefore can use it for leverage and benefit greatly. A area that has a higher tax rate is mostly likely generating lots of revenue and putting it towards making the community even better, such as improving schools, libraries, and parks. This creates a prestigious and safe community that people aspire to be like. If this were to be a statewide property tax, all counties would be the same and it would not matter what part of town you move to. Also, counties differ greatly based on their resources. A county in Atlanta does not compare and cannot have the same amount of tax rate as a county in south Georgia. This is because of the large amount of jobs, people, and resources that Atlanta has. Atlanta also has a very scarce amount of land, therefore property tax rates should be higher because of scarcity whereas south Georgia has a great amount of land and less amount of people.