1. Who is V. O. Key Jr.? And how would you answer his basic question” “On what basis shall it be decided to allocate x dollars to activity A instead of activity B?”
2. Many claim that politics gets in the way of good administration. That is, if it were left to the administrators to draft the budget, governments would be better able to address social needs more efficiently. Do you think taking the politics out of public budgeting is a good thing or a bad thing, and why?
3. Many claim that public budgeting is too incremental? Why do governments seem to be incremental in how they allocate resources? Is this a good thing? What about programs that may have out lived their usefulness?
4. Which of the typical local government revenues do you think the tax payers dislike paying the most? If you were able, what type of tax would you levy on your local constituents, and why?
5. Why is the property tax unpopular? What is the best way to deliver property tax relief?