Time to fight to abolish unfair property taxes

Chicago Sun Times ^ | 10/9/11 | Phil Kadner

[my4kidsdad]

You are correct, my mistake. I misread it to say “comprehensive”. Thanks for the correction - I was absolutely baffled by the writer’s argument when in fact it was my error.

[fanfan]

Property taxes are unfair, but not for this reason.

“Taxes ought to be based on a person’s ability to pay.”

[dennisw]

Absolutely! You can't truly own property if you need to pay the government every year, you're just a renter.

During the Great Depression people lost farms, land and houses due to being unable to pay the property taxes. Mortgages were not as widespread so were a smaller factor than today. I spoke with an old Italian-American guy, his father and uncle built the family abode in New Jersey. They lost it in the Great Depression due to being unable to pay the taxes on it

[Myrddin]

“ability to pay” aka class warfare.

[brooklin]

“I own a small plot of land in rural America. If the woods ever catch on fire, the county fire department has to put it out. The county maintains the road by it. Either the county has to do that all for free or hit me with a property tax. We can quibble about the level, but I can’t see a good conservative argument for getting rid of the tax altogether.”

Exactly. They will still have to pay for the road maintenance some how.

[StormEye]

"Where do you think we should get the money from to pay for city roads, police, fire departments etc?"

And where do think all of the state, county, town and city income taxes go? Along with sales taxes, fuel taxes etc. Just what do these local governments do with them? I'm completely against all forms of property tax where if you don't pay, the local government can confiscate your house or land that you have paid for. This form of tyranny needs to be abolished.

[who knows what evil?]

70% of the property taxes in my area go right to the local re-educa...er, public schools.

[GOPJ]

I live in a State that doesn’t have an income tax...

On a lighter note did you see the Craig’s list ad - an ad for the fake protesters for “Occupy’... ummm, the ‘rent-a-crowd folks get up to $650 a week plus benefits.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/gov/2618821815.html

[newzjunkey]

These large property tax rate hikes are why the people of CA passed Prop 13 in the 1970s. Families should not be taxed out of their homes because legislators can’t control their spending habits.

[Sarajevo]

They lost it in the Great Depression due to being unable to pay the taxes on it

It makes you wonder why they didn't fight to keep their property.

[abb]

Here in my local area, about 60% of the property taxes go toward schools. What makes the concept of property taxes inherently unfair is that non-property owners have the ability to vote just like property owners.

[dennisw]

The did. They brought in Pretty Boy Floyd with his gang and shot it out with the coppers and revenoo agents

[Borges]

People who don’t pay Income taxes also vote on those right?

[Gaffer]

Well, the question of whether property taxes are legal has already been settled. The writer should, instead, be questioning the efficacy and need for the government entities that levy the taxes: State, City and local government and schools. The basic concept of property taxes is a valid one in lieu of outright constant charges for any citizen's use of government services or their use of local schools to educate their children. The main problem with them now is that government and the education establishment have become bloated inefficient monstrosities that have no legitimate basis for levying their rape of the taxpayer except that they can.

[precisionshootist]

ping