The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

For the past few years, I’ve sat in New Orleans high school classrooms watching students debate the fairest way for government to raise revenue. They role-play - first as management consultants advising legislators; then as lawmakers, weighing what to tax: property vs. sales vs. income. Are there limits on what or who can be taxed? Is a flat tax or a progressive rate structure fairer? Sometimes their discussions are heated.

These teenagers, however, have an edge that many adults don’t: basic tax literacy. Guided by Tulane law students, the high schoolers explore different philosophies and meth...