Man owed $134 in property taxes. The District sold the lien to an investor who foreclosed

Still taking the "noble" view that you wouldn't have been in a position like his?

Yes. If this unfortunate man had avoided delinquency, he never would have fallen prey to this situation.

People need to pay their real estate taxes; everyone knows the consequences of delinquency. Moreover, a high delinquency rate forces the city to raise rates for everyone, shifting the burden from the negligent to the diligent. I don't support that outcome.

I suport the notion of responsibility and alert self-interest.

I can certainly also understand why the city took the action it did, faced with an unsustainable delinquency rate. I rather suspect that all this publicity has resulted in DC folks waking up - and getting current on their real estate taxes. That's a good thing.

I live on a river in upstate NY and the taxes, especially for “water front” are absurd. The worst thing was when they reassessed the value of everyone’s home at the height of the housing bubble and then the Democrat Mayor ran for reelection saying no increase in the property tax RATE and the morons fell for it, even though their tax bill went up because their home was deemed worth more. Our County tax rate actually decreased because Republicans hold the county. But when the housing market fell flat did they reassess? No. So we had neighbors that borrowed the max amount against their home and then put it up for sale. Ended up being foreclosed on, they declared bankruptcy, and the house sold at
short sale for $100,000 less then assessed by the Town, but the bank said that's what it was worth in the new housing market. But those new homeowners are still paying tax on the home as if it were worth $100,000 more! It's ridiculous. In a nearby city, they amended their law to make homes assessed for what they were sold for because nobody would buy.

Sorry I went off on a rant! You're right, they could have done lots of things to get $134. But that's not really what they wanted! Does anyone with civility work in even local government anymore?

Generally speaking, I fully agree with your position.

The institution of national and local governance isn’t new, nor is the idea of taxation.

The news story leaves alot untold, so it’s difficult if not foolish to judge too quickly on the particular elements of the story.

Tax sales are fairly common legal proceedings, which are well tested by our legal system.

The idea of somebody losing $100,000+ in value over a $100 debt is obviously unjust. Usually the facts in the case reveal a much more fair and just sequence of events transpired and the disparity is more a matter of interpretation than the headline.

Let’s say the headline is true. Obviously there are plenty of lawyers who would be more than willing to go after all parties involved to not only win back the loser his fair equity, but also cash in on punitive damages in the process.

Most properties disposed of by tax sale aren’t processed by wealthy tax men. The tax collectors themselves usually aren’t that wealthy, but usually must manage a system impacting the total population. It’s a bureaucracy. The liquidation of the assets becomes an automated procedure.

Meanwhile, those who are foreclosing also generally are not wealthy. Those involved in the mechanics of the procedures are working for generally under $6k per transaction and frequently one step above minimum wage.

There are also forced options involved. If they don’t foreclose or enforce the tax code, then they are just as guilty of favoritism as over-enforcement.

It’s the duty of the legislation to insure the burden of proof is on the State to prove the delinquency and return of fair market value balance to the home owner.

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