Letter: Earned income tax ‘more equitable way’ to fund schools

To the editor:

I am writing whole-heartedly in favor of the forthcoming May 8 ballot issue for an income tax for Granville public schools.

My wife, Myra, and I moved to Granville in 1965 with five small children, all of whom graduated from Granville High School. Each one had different interests and talents that were encouraged and fostered by caring teachers and staff members. Before my retirement as a professor of education at Denison University, I visited many student teachers in Granville classrooms and observed the same individual attention given to students as had been given to our daughter and sons.

In my education classes I always tried to point out that a school income tax is a more equitable way to raise school revenues than property taxes. Income usually is a better indicator of ability to pay than a property tax on your home or farm. The latter tax especially may not yield income commensurate with the value of your land.

The current proposal put forth by our Board of Education would levy a 1.25 percent tax on EARNED income. Exempt from this tax would be income from Social Security, pensions and equities. In consideration of this income tax, there would be about a 5 percent reduction in the property tax that would benefit residents.

Quality schools are a major asset to this community. To maintain and even improve this quality, I urge you to vote YES for the Granville schools income tax levy on May 8.

Tom and Myra Gallant

Granville