You have to understand something about property taxes in New York State. First, County governments are responsible for funding 25% of the Medicaid bill the state sets. In some counties 100% of the property tax levy goes to pay this 25%. We are not that bad in my county, but that is only because our County Executive has been a good steward. I pay $10,500 a year on a $330,000 home. $6500 of that is for schools.
Second, assessment is a scam. It has no meaning. A house is worth only what someone will pay for it on the open market. For purposes of refi I have my home assessed at the highest possible figure. For the purposes of tax levy I have it assessed at the lowest. If assessment was a real thing those two numbers would be the same, but they are not.
IMHO property taxes violate the 5th and 14th amendments to the Constitution and should be outlawed.
Those are all valid points. My basic point is that those issues apply to ALL taxpayers — not just the ones who “can’t afford to pay” the taxes in question.