Public finance is an area of study that has received a great deal of attention throughout the years. In recent years public finance has become more of a critical issue because of the economic recession that has plagued the country. There are various methods of public finance that exist and remain as a popular way for local and state governments to raise revenues. For the purposes of this discussion the issue of property taxes will be the focus as it pertains to local governments and the use of "user taxes" to help pay for local government services.

Public finance is described as "the branch of economics that studies the taxing and spending activities of government (Rosen, 2003)." Additionally public finance deals with the issue of both positive and normative analysis. Positive normative analysis involves factors related to cause and effect whereas normative analysis refers to ethical issues associated with the...
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