Posted on 12/28/2007 1:43:10 PM PST by Lorianne
Most people are not particularly fond of paying taxes of any sort, but the discontent with one particular type of public levy, the local property tax, is gaining momentum across the country. Disgruntled homeowners are demanding that governors and mayors find alternative methods to raise revenue in order to relieve their own property tax burden.
Decades ago this discontent led to such tax limitation measures as Proposition 13 in California and Proposition 2½ in Massachusetts. More recently, this movement has been driven by sharply rising property tax levies in many cities and suburbs as a result of the extraordinary appreciation in property values over the past few years. The high visibility of the property tax, which in contrast to sales and income taxes is often paid annually in one or two large installments, makes this form of revenue generation an attractive target for taxpayer antipathy.
(Excerpt) Read more at lincolninst.edu ...
User the username “username” and the password “password”.
Property taxes are, by far, the most unamerican of taxes. Supposedly, in this country, you can live on your own property. And so you can, as long as the local government gets its protection money every year. So really, you don’t own the property. The government permits you to live on it.
I’m sorry
“Extraordinary appreciation in property values over the past few years. “ does not cause taxes to rise, spending increases cause taxes to rise.
If we restrict the available real estate that can be occupied, what happens to the price of that property and the resulting valuation and taxes?
I was raised in this house and property taxes never amounted to much to worry over. When I inherited it, taxes were equal to about 2 weeks pay. Today, same house and same job, taxes are equal to about 2 MONTHS pay. We may not be able to live here any longer. I’ve had to close out savings accounts for the past 3-4 years just to pay the taxes and now there’s nothing left.
In reading this article, it comes to two conclusions that can be summarized as follows: (1) state governments need to provide tax welfare for cities so they don’t have to rely on property taxes so much, and, (2) cities need the ability to levy local income taxes.
Or to summarize further: this was 6 pages of pure leftist swill. Don’t waste your time or the bandwidth to read it.
Thanks for the summary.
Thanks! Portland, OR has taken up both those measures. The state makes up school funding to “underfunded districts” which is the bizzare effect of persons living in very moderate income rural districts sending money to the much richer Portland area. And, that not being enough to pay off the unending demands (now law!) of the teachers and public employees unions, have a special 2% tax for Multnomah County (ie: city of Portland) residents.
I would agree with that summary. State income tax
If it were a matter of property OR income tax and not both, it might not make that much of a difference. However, that’s not what’s being proposed.
I believe what's being proposed, combinded with "smart growth" policies will be the end of the average person being able to own their own property.
Cities just suck.
When I lived in Virginia the area was growing. Our taxes were low, which attracted new residents, thus enabling the tax rate to remain the same.
Whaddya mean? If your house is assessed at a higher value, your property taxes do go up.
Of course, if there is extra $$ left over the town will spend it.
That seems to be the cycle. The "smart growth" plan seems to be calculated to extract the largest amount of tax money from the smallest geographical tax base. This maximizes the tax base and minimizes the cost of providing services to the municipality. Sometimes it appears they're trying to keep the tax base from leaving by making it impossible to move far enough away to escape the taxes, and still live close enough to commute.
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