Posted on 07/10/2007 6:16:33 PM PDT by Kieri
NEW ORLEANS: Ben Maygarden is only half-joking when he wonders whether he should wear a bulletproof vest to City Hall, where he works for one of the city's seven tax assessors.
New Orleans is wrapping up a mandatory, citywide reassessment of property values for the first time since Hurricane Katrina damaged or destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.
The reassessment could lead to big property tax increases for some homeowners at a time when many already are being hit with soaring insurance premiums in Katrina's aftermath.
"People are going to be upset," said Maygarden, chief deputy to Assessor Nancy Marshall. "We joke about needing bulletproof vests, but it's not entirely a joke."
Some fear the results could pit neighborhood against neighborhood, as well as discourage people from moving to New Orleans and buying homes at a time when the city desperately wants to rebuild its population.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
Too funny. Too bad.
It is about time they paid for their own city, homes and whatever else. Socialism is out of control in this country, and it is getting WORSE under the current crop of leftists running Washington -—
Nagin for Governor!
Also this just in...Water is wet...developing
But, imagine they are going to go after my houses in the Garden District and Uptown with a vengeance. We can just pray that there is not a hurricane this year or for the next 40 or 50 years. And hopefully this time the Corps of Engineers will build the levees correctly.
What, N.O. squandered all the free flowing federal money and must now turn to its citizens?
Actually, property taxes have already gone up here in Baton Rouge (90 miles NW from New Orleans) as a result of "Katrina"...How are we "sowing what we've reaped"?
By not having a fair assessment system and avoiding that honesty in order to score political points. To be honest, I don’t think one exists anywhere, and they always get the taxes they want and homeowners be da**ed.
Agreed - for New Orleans. However, I have a very strong feeling that the residents of New Orleans are not going to shoulder the majority of this burden.
As a Floridian, may I say this- welcome to my nightmare!
Property taxes are the truest form of government extortion. Pay up or we take your home. Your right to own private property is only an illusion.
And it’s a great way of stoking class envy to keep the victims divided. I see enough of that here on FR when the subject comes up. Divide and conquer, the government’s SOP for taking our rights and extorting our money.
To be honest, I suspect the real aim of the assessments might be to dissuade less finanically stable former residents from returning to town.
Alot of suburbs use high property taxes as a way of restricting who will actually live in town (via paying property taxes), New Orleans may simply be copying that idea. Knowing what I know, I’ve never personally believed that Nagin really wanted everyone to return. Just look at his appointments, his policies, at one point, he was ready to demolish much of the devastated aeeas. I don’t think the motive is to force upper class tenants out. The hikes won’t mean that much to them, and they’re probably more likely to support them if it means the Lower 9th never becomes what it once was.
Another affect of this is that higher property tax levies would probably convince alot of people in the poorer areas who have held on to their property to sell for the higher market values they’ll use to assess it, and then take that money to buy housing where there is lower taxes. In fact, I think that may be what they want.
The reassessment could lead to big property tax increases for some homeowners at a time when many already are being hit with soaring insurance premiums in Katrina's aftermath.
After seeing many areas of NO first hand just last week, I find it difficult to believe that many neighborhoods could have in any way GAINED value. When a homeowner is one of only one or two among 20-40 houses being restored - and he has put new siding, new roof, complete new interior... then yes, his home (if it stood alone) would be more valuable than prior to the hurricane - but in a neighborhood of primarily still rotting homes? I don't think so.
Raising property taxes now is a good way to MAKE SURE that homeowners don't return to repair/clean-up.
Then again - name a government official in that Hell-hole that doesn't believe that higher taxes are the ANSWER....
Try 3.11 per hundred in Houston. A Tax that never stops.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Also in Florida I SAY “Pay Your Fair Share”
Us Floridians have always paid our share - we got no handouts from the Feds. It’s time that New Orleans pays their own way.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.