Under the program adopted by the City, tax relief in the form of a dividend is only provided under very specific conditions. This long-term financial planning process is as important as the dividend itself. The general public and the news media have not adequately considered this part of the program. In discussing the program with the many public officials from around the country who have inquired about the dividend, it appears they are more interested in the dividend portion of the program than the planning portion. Greater, and more effective, efforts must be made locally and in material distributed to other governments to emphasize the planning and long-term evaluation process that is an integral part of the dividend plan as conceived and adopted by Farmers Branch.
All governments can benefit from implementing a long-term financial management plan.
The Tax Dividend Program, as part of a comprehensive long-term financial management plan, can be easily adapted for the use by other governmental organizations without significant modification. Any government facing pressure to lower taxes could benefits from the Tax Dividend Program which sets forth a strategy to return to taxpayers based on actual, rather than anticipated results- effectively lowering taxes in a controlled manner, without affecting the actual tax rate. The comprehensive financial plan is key to the process. Any government organization lacking a comprehensive financial plan should consider a tax dividend only as an interim measure until a comprehensive plan can be developed. Many cities, counties and states have requested information on the Tax Dividend Program.