Posted on 05/23/2005 7:35:32 AM PDT by KeyesPlease
Soaring property taxes are a top worry in state legislatures across the country, where lawmakers are trying to appease disgruntled homeowners and, in some cases, courts that are demanding change in the system so schools are more equitably funded.
Some states are weighing plans to lower taxes. Others just want to keep them from rising too fast. Still others are aiming to substantially change the tax system and find another way to help pay for schools that closes the quality gap between wealthy and poor communities.
"People are facing being taxed out of their homes," said Ted Harris, a 69-year-old retiree living on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, whose taxes climbed from $2,200 in 1990 to $12,000 last year. "Government simply swallows the money and finds lots of reasons to spend that money."
From Texas to Illinois to Pennsylvania, lawmakers are weighing property-tax caps, limits, exemptions and other ways to ease the burdens for homeowners — whose tax bills are the down slide of home values increasing. Proposals to change the system have become part of the gubernatorial campaigns in New Jersey and Virginia.
In most states, cities, counties and municipalities rely upon property taxes to pay for much of local government and schools.
In response to widespread complaints, Nevada — the fastest-growing state in the country — signed into law last month a cap on property taxes, limiting growth to 3 percent a year on all single-family, owner-occupied primary residences, with a higher cap of 8 percent for commercial property and second homes.
Legislatures are debating bills in many states, but so far:
Texas legislators agreed to lower property taxes for schools, with the state picking up a bigger share of the education load..
New Jersey legislators are moving forward with plans to ask voters to approve a constitutional convention that would take on changes in the property-tax system, heeding arguments that taxes have gotten out of control.
Illinois lawmakers are debating a plan to swap higher income taxes for lower property taxes.
Pennsylvania last year legalized slot-machine gambling with some of the money to cut local school property taxes.
I spent the first 9 years of my education (K-8)at a parochial school in an old building with no air conditioning. Those penguins still managed to teach and students managed to learn.
This drive for "equality" between poor and wealthy school districts is taxing people out of their homes. Measures for relief amount to shell games.
Bump for later
"Pennsylvania last year legalized slot-machine gambling with some of the money to cut local school property taxes."
Don't spend less money, promote gambling!
No - While Pennsylvania did legalize some slots gambling, not one dime has gone to reduce local taxes. For a local school district to get any money, they are forced to institute a local wage tax! Slick Eddie - where you need to raise taxes in order to get a tax break!
Here in mid-CT our town recently proposed a 10% tax increase. The vote was at the newly completed High School...which features a courtyard and a lovely vaulted roof with skylights. Very upscale.
The tax increase got voted down...76% to 24%.
It's a joke isn't it? A supposedly moral thing like public education needs to be supported by a vise, gambling.
California sold the lottery on the basis that a large sum of money would be directed to education. Politicians are underhanded thieves. The money originally directed from the state coffers to education was redirected to other purposes in direct proportion to the lottery revenues derived. Money is fungible and politicians are skilled to stealing money to fund their own agenda.
The California lottery money is essentially being diverted to fund pet projects by a little budgetary sleight of hand.
Texas RINOs have screwed us big time on this one. They passed an income tax in disguise and a one time decrease in the tax rate, knowing full well that at current price inflation the amount paid will be right back up in three years, and keep rising beyond that.
There isn't a republican in my district or on the statewide ticket that I plan to vote for again -- ever.
Here's a novel idea: fund the schools directly via "customer fees", and eliminate property taxes altogether. After all, we can't have Marxist ideas as public policy. There was a time here in the US when we didn't pay property taxes, so it's not outside the realm of possibility.
Government greed knows no bounds.
A "mere" 3% annual tax increase least to a 15.9% increase in 5 years, a 34.3% increase in ten years and a 55.7% increase in 15 years
an 8% annual cap leads to 46.9% increase in five years, a 115% increase in ten years and a 217% increase in fifteen years.
Ain't that the truth!
Politicians will NEVER cut spending other people's money. Like drunken sailors, they spend EVERYTHING they have! (no offense to any sailors or drunkards :)
Until the people get sick and tired enough to surround the respective capitol buildings, beard the lions in their dens, and FORCE the government to STOP taxing Americans into poverty....it will continue!
It's a joke isn't it? A supposedly moral thing like public education needs to be supported by a vise, gambling.Here in South Carolina we have the "Education Lottery." Talk about an oxymoron!
Somebody needs to wake up and realize the education system's business model is very broken.
Yeah those good ole RATS are the ticket. That'll show 'em.
There has never been a time without property taxes in some form. Taxes are not "socialistic" nor is public education.
I expect this behavior out of the democrats, and I am starting to come to the realization that both sides are crooks, liars and cheats, but the democrats have the distinction of being effective crooks, liars, and cheats.
The republican party of Texas is led by a bunch of limp-wristed bedwetters aspiring to national office and living in mortal fear of doing anything that might earn them a negative editorial from the New York Times.
Looking at the chicanery surrounding property taxes leaves me with zero faith in the republicans. None of the three republican possibles for governor are worth a pitcher of warm spit, and I bet the other statewide offices are just as bad.
"Here in Missouri they have a 15% cap on 2yr. assessments.
EXCEPT that Jackson Co. (Kansas City) has NO LIMIT on
assessments. They are exempt from caps because of desegregation agreements of 15 yrs. ago."
The 15% cap on 2 year assessments does not apply to Jackson Co.? Explain, if you desire, the desegregation agreements and their relationship to propety taxation and assessment. I'd like to know more about it b/c that sounds nuts! Are county governments in Missouri responsible for property assessments? In NJ, assessment responsibility is reserved to the municipality. Munis must assess at least once a decade, but many ignore that constitutional mandate. Newark didn't assess for nearly 40 years. How often must property be assessed in Missouri?
"Last month new figures sent to home owners
raised assessments in Jackson Co. from 30% - 100%.
Ours is 52%"
Is this the ratio of assessed value to market value? If this is the case and you are only at 52% then you are due for a wallop :-(
Did Clinton teach you the fine art of weasel-wording, or did you teach him?
Nope, the subject of this thread is "property taxes" in the "form" generally understood to be denoted by that phrase.
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