Texas raids fund for poor to keep taxes low

[kpete]

Texas raids fund for poor to keep taxes low
Posted on 08.12.11
By Muriel Kane


Texas utility customers pay a little extra on their bills that is supposed to go into a fund to help the poor cover their own utility payments. But in a year of record heat, less than half the fund is being paid out, forcing people to do without air conditioning in triple-digit temperatures.

CBS reports that the Texas legislature has repeatedly approved raiding the fund in order to balance its budget without raising taxes. By 2013, there will be $900 million sitting unspent, with no plans to ever pay it out.

And not only are the poor being shortchanged, but members of the middle class who pay utility bills are being charged that extra fee which does nothing but subsidize keeping taxes low on the wealthy.

This video is from CBS News, posted August 12, 2011.
http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/08/texas-raids-fund-for-poor-to-keep-taxes-low/

[xchrom]

1. Recommend

[salin]

2. k & r

[indepat]

3. Would seem charging that extra fee, but not using proceeds for the purpose intended

would be tantamount to fraud with a capital F. :shrug: :patriot:

[truedelphi]

4. And then the well to do wonder why

Riots are happening? The overall corruption of the system is so deadly to everyone imprisoned within it, that those on the bottom finally give way to their animal natures

And those on the top have fostered mainly their animal natures of greed and control for far too long.

Sooner or later, something has to give.

[Jane Austin]

5. Texas taxes aren't low.

State taxes are fairly low, but they've passed everything down to the counties and cities and school districts and those local taxes are crushingly high.

Meanwhile, there's a fee for everything, and highways we've already paid for are becoming toll roads - which have already been sold to private owners in Spain.

Rick Perry has been an unparalleled disaster for Texas.