- Texas low-income households pay more in state/local taxes as a share of their income than do the rest of us.
- Texas operates the 5th most regressive tax system in the United States.
- Low per-capita state taxes (49th in the nation) limit Texas' ability to draw down federal dollars for health care, child care and many other human services.
- Households earning below $27,088 use 12.4% of their income on taxes.
- Households earning over $117,899 use 4.9% of their income on taxes.
- Medicaid in Texas covers only 1 out of 8 low-income working age women (2008).
- Texas doctors accept new Medicaid patients at these rates: OB/GYN: 42%; Pediatrics: 42%; Family Medicine: 30%--shortage of doctors to serve the poor challenges the state and public health.
- 90% of direct care workers in the US are women. In Texas, home care aides earned $7.05 an hour and home health aides earned $8.03 an hour (2008).
- Public school spending/investment per pupil in Texas: $8,307.
- Texas ranks 50th in percent of females age 25+ with at least high school diploma.
- Texas school finance challenge is not just one of equity, but adequacy--2006 cut in property taxes created a $9 billion loss each biennium.
- Tuition increases in major Texas universities from 2003 to 2008 average 71%.
- Texas child care workers earn$7.82 per hour--41st in the US (2008).
- Texas ranks 46th in child care funding for low-income children.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Facts reported at a recent Dallas Women's Foundation forum. . .
Consider:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I guess the reason that there are no comments is that we are all too stunned to even say anything. I have forwarded this link to a bunch of people who keep talking about taxes and education. Thanks.
Households earning below $27,088 use 12.4% of their income on taxes.
Households earning over $117,899 use 4.9% of their income on taxes.
This is an astounding fact for me.
Texas has one of the most regressive tax systems in the US.
Texas does not have a state tax so unless low income people own a house to pay property tax they do not pay atate tax, except for sales tax.
Also low income people do not pay Federal income tax, in fact considering tax credits they come out on the positive side.
The top 50% of wage earners pay 97% of Federal income tax.
Anonymous,
Renters pay property tax indirectly, but I don't know if that's measured in Larry's numbers. If not, then the state tax system is even more regressive.
Federal taxes for Social Security and Medicare are deeply regressive when isolated from FIT, credits, and benefits. The federal tax system is mildly progressive overall.
Jeff W
Post a Comment