diff --git a/app/Models/Proposal.php b/app/Models/Proposal.php
index f47ddb9..877f881 100644
--- a/app/Models/Proposal.php
+++ b/app/Models/Proposal.php
@@ -25,22 +25,6 @@ class Proposal extends Model
     use Reportable;
     protected $guarded = [];
 
-    protected static function boot()
-    {
-        parent::boot();
-
-        static::deleting(function(Proposal $self) {
-            $self->reportsOf()->delete();
-
-            // update refcounts
-            $rev = $self->revision;
-            $rev->decrement('refs');
-
-            // Delete the revision if it has no other refs (manually, to update row refs)
-            if ($rev->refs <= 0) $rev->delete();
-        });
-    }
-
     /** Authoring user */
     public function author()
     {
diff --git a/app/Models/Revision.php b/app/Models/Revision.php
index 0287a05..fbf3321 100644
--- a/app/Models/Revision.php
+++ b/app/Models/Revision.php
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ use Riesjart\Relaquent\Model\Concerns\HasRelaquentRelationships;
  * @property int $id
  * @property \Carbon\Carbon $created_at
  * @property \Carbon\Carbon $updated_at
- * @property int $refs
  * @property int $ancestor_id
  * @property string $note
  * @property object $columns
@@ -26,18 +25,6 @@ class Revision extends Model
     use HasRelaquentRelationships;
     protected $guarded = [];
 
-    protected static function boot()
-    {
-        parent::boot();
-
-        static::deleting(function(Revision $self) {
-            // update refcounts
-            $self->rows()->decrement('refs');
-
-            $self->rows()->where('refs', '<=', 0)->delete();
-        });
-    }
-
     /** Included rows */
     public function rows()
     {
diff --git a/app/Models/Row.php b/app/Models/Row.php
index f7c3214..0b16ded 100644
--- a/app/Models/Row.php
+++ b/app/Models/Row.php
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
  * Row in a data table
  *
  * @property int $id
- * @property int $refs
  * @property string $data - JSONB
  */
 class Row extends Model
diff --git a/app/Models/Table.php b/app/Models/Table.php
index c3c229a..de6ebd3 100644
--- a/app/Models/Table.php
+++ b/app/Models/Table.php
@@ -35,23 +35,6 @@ class Table extends Model
     use Reportable;
     protected $guarded = [];
 
-    protected static function boot()
-    {
-        parent::boot();
-
-        static::deleting(function(Table $self) {
-            // update revision refcounts
-            $self->revisions()->decrement('refs');
-
-            $self->reportsOf()->delete();
-
-            // delete revisions with zero refs (manually, to properly cascade to rows)
-            foreach ($self->revisions()->where('refs', '<=', 0)->get() as $rev) {
-                $rev->delete();
-            }
-        });
-    }
-
     /** Owning user */
     public function owner()
     {
diff --git a/database/migrations/2018_07_08_193500_create_rows_table.php b/database/migrations/2018_07_08_193500_create_rows_table.php
index 7c40e13..5690a42 100644
--- a/database/migrations/2018_07_08_193500_create_rows_table.php
+++ b/database/migrations/2018_07_08_193500_create_rows_table.php
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ class CreateRowsTable extends Migration
     {
         Schema::create('rows', function (Blueprint $table) {
             $table->increments('id');
-            $table->unsignedInteger('refs'); // used for reference counting
             $table->jsonb('data');
         });
     }
diff --git a/database/migrations/2018_07_08_193600_create_revisions_table.php b/database/migrations/2018_07_08_193600_create_revisions_table.php
index b5170fb..3dc32f1 100644
--- a/database/migrations/2018_07_08_193600_create_revisions_table.php
+++ b/database/migrations/2018_07_08_193600_create_revisions_table.php
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ class CreateRevisionsTable extends Migration
         Schema::create('revisions', function (Blueprint $table) {
             $table->increments('id');
             $table->timestamps();
-            $table->unsignedInteger('refs'); // used for reference counting
             $table->unsignedInteger('ancestor_id')->index()->nullable(); // parent revision
 
             // columns specification
diff --git a/database/migrations/2018_07_08_194000_create_proposals_table.php b/database/migrations/2018_07_08_194000_create_proposals_table.php
index 7138357..73e89d2 100644
--- a/database/migrations/2018_07_08_194000_create_proposals_table.php
+++ b/database/migrations/2018_07_08_194000_create_proposals_table.php
@@ -27,17 +27,16 @@ class CreateProposalsTable extends Migration
 
             $table->jsonb('changes'); // the actual meat of the changeset is stored here
 
-            // block the delete - we must first decrement Row refs and then the proposals manually
             $table->foreign('revision_id')->references('id')->on('revisions')
-                ->onDelete('restrict');
+                ->onDelete('cascade'); // a proposal without the revision is useless
 
             // deleting the table must NOT delete the proposals, as they may be applicable to forks sharing the revision
             $table->foreign('table_id')->references('id')->on('tables')
                 ->onDelete('set null');
 
-            // block the delete - we must first decrement Row refs and then the proposals manually
+            // deleting author wipes their proposals
             $table->foreign('author_id')->references('id')->on('users')
-                ->onDelete('restrict');
+                ->onDelete('cascade');
         });
     }