Yes, it is time to remove the burden of funding schools from the property owners ("Try a better tax solution," Sept. 8). It is time to think outside the box, as they say.
The high property tax burden is counter-productive, depressing the housing market, causing many to be unable to qualify for a mortgage, and passing the burden to the county governments in making the schools "whole," in essence giving the schools a cart blanche to spend whatever they want.
Schools should also bear the burden of their own collection and change the payment structure to allow quarterly payments.
I recommend readers research the Vermont education funding law, Act 60, which was created in response to the Vermont Supreme Court throwing out the prior funding system as unconstitutional due to unequal funding of districts, which meant students weren't getting an equal education. That was a very logical solution to what seems to be the same problem in New York in which different communities have different resources.
The income tax is a better source to fund education and that is part of Act 60.
Dale Thiel
Chatham Center