Posted on 02/13/2021 7:48:55 AM PST by Brian Griffin
“Apartments do not currently pay a proportionate amount of tax per occupant versus home dwellers.”
Some people would love to add more “affordable housing” to my community.
By the look of it, most housing in my community should be easily affordable.
The real problem my Florida community has is an excess of “low-rent” people.
I can’t afford to subsidize others given my low income.
I feel that the taxation of a residential property should be roughly proportional to the governmental costs of the services, such as public schooling, likely to be provided to its residents.
Everything should be Fee For Service. And it would be simple to “enforce”. Your insurance company would require certain things. You want insurance against theft, fire, vandalism, etc etc etc...You’ll get it all, anything you want, as soon as you show us where you paid for the cops, firemen, emt’s, etc. You don’t want to pay for the cops? Cool, if your house is broken into and they take everything down to the last spoon, you’re on your own.
No pay, no spray: Firefighters let home burn
If that won’t work then a simple math equation....Square footage x a defined multiplier.....everyone is taxed at the same rate. People on the lower end of the spectrum live in a smaller home, they’ll pay less taxes than the rich guy on the other side of town in a 4000sf home. Simple. Easy.
Taxes need to be raised, they’re raised for everyone. Not some arbitrary determination based on what they county appraiser and tax assessor thinks someone should pay and can afford, as happened to me.
When we look at our tax bills, everything is itemized. Some folks need to put a “little” more in the kitty to help those less fortunate to help offset some, I’m completely ok with that. But when the tax assessor wants more money and knows that they can’t raise the millage rate, all they do is miraculously tell you your house is worth more money. Complete and utter bulls*t. Then it’s up to you to challenge that estimate and show that it is in fact, NOT, worth all that money.
I was told after my hearing, that I would have to take the county to court, for a fee of $200 and......”I’d basically be suing my neighbors”.
I laugh when people are cheery that their assessments go up. Well, so do your taxes. And what are they going up for? So the town/city/county can steal more of your money for their pet projects.
First question....are there more services needed? No. Do you need more cops, firemen, EMTs, teachers? No. In fact the neighborhood has never been safer and the calls for service have gone down. Good, absolutely no reason for the increase in taxes.
> This guy was looking for a 14% increase, wasn’t enough for the state. <
And that’s a problem with property taxes. Most folks don’t take notice (at first) when property taxes are raised. And renters might not notice it all. Renters just get mad at the landlord when the rent goes up.
That’s one reason why I think some sort of sales tax would be better. A raise in the sales tax would be noticed by everyone immediately.
Exactly right (but they let you hold a little piece of paper called a deed to make you happy).
Don't believe us? Try not paying your taxes and see how long you "own" the property.
“Nonstarter: low-income housing that accommodates young families, with however many number of parents present, by far would be the most costly based on your principle.”
Unfortunately, plans are in the works. Big plans.
We need to minimize as much as possible our cost of the expensive mistakes headed our way.
Property tax is how the rich and poor screw the middle class. Rich buy homes with cash & own cars & art/antiques worth more than a middle class home paid by monthly payments after debt-financing .....where both mortgage payments, property tax and insurance all some from income, not property value. The poor own no property & often receive housing subsidies such as tax credits on income, for children, child support that is not taxed as income, etc. property goes up in value, but the home depreciates, ie, paint, roof, plumbing, furnishings, appliances ....
my assessment jumped up yet again yet we did no improvements. The assessor’s office was blasted so much with phone calls that they just stopped taking calls or ability to leave a message. And the office is closed due to TRUMPRID-19
Unfunded mandates by Emperor Andrew
Abolish property taxes. The government was never intended to be our lord and master.
My suggestion is to ban all taxes on personal assets. Period.
“Square footage x a defined multiplier”
Taking the square root of the footage can be easily done by computer and I believe is fairer.
There is no reason why the property tax on a “low-income” rental property should be set below a rate that is fair to the community as a whole.
The owner/residents of a “low-income” apartment with $1,200/month rent can certainly afford to pay as much property tax as most single family home owners in their community do.
Homeowners in Bedminster, NJ should not be subsidizing Newark slumlords or their tenants.
Rich by their own house with cash and finance investment property
“Here’s a better idea. No ‘taxation’ of property.”
It is a sad fact that people don’t realize that it might be better to personally pay $4,000/year to educate each of their rugrats than to pay $3,000/year for forty years in property tax and also overpay $50,000 to well over $150,000 for a house.
Education in this country is of low quality.
Two biggest reasons why states lost sovereignty to Federal government is the popular election of senators & the income tax, which makes us citizens-taxpayers of the USA. Before that, the Federal gov’t was financed only by tariffs, duties and excise taxes. The Federal government properly should tax the STATES, not the citizens of those states—and that would give states leverage instead of the divide and conquer income tax effects. Excep t for inheriting or finding money, most taxes are a tax on an EVEN TRADE. people trade work for money or they trade money for work or they trade money for goods or services or vice-verse, where it’s an even trade where both sides profit by the trade but nobody makes money . Property tax is one tax that is completely one sided and is not on an even trade. I profit by owning a home & people profit by selling a home —ie, an even trade, ...but property tax is not a tax on the trade, it’s a tax on the value of the property if you sold it..which is a private matter and is none of the business of the government. But the homeowner is already making payments on the home, with interest...and utilities and maintainence & upkeep costs, and furnishings and appliances....which all rise with inflation. Property tax is probably the worst tax of all. And they all are bad. But when Bill Gates kids benefit from being his kids all their lives, then get to inherit all his billions as tax-free income without having to make an even trade or give up something of value in exchange.....that’s bit unfair considering when people trade work for money they pay income and payroll tax and property tax......and their employer pays income and payroll tax on the same work! We tax WORK a lot in this country, but not so much trading stock or a vulture capitalist business or inheriting money they did not trade work for.
“Square footage x a defined multiplier”
The building cost of a house really doesn’t go up by the square foot.
A 30’x30’ house has about 120 feet of exterior walls and about 900 square feet of space.
A 40’x40’ house has about 160 feet of exterior walls and about 1,600 square feet of space.
The length of walls went up by 33% but the square footage went up by about 77%.
“Property tax is probably the worst tax of all.”
My bank statements evidence your viewpoint.
However, like thieves, governments take the easy pickings.
I wish for a truly just world, but we have to aim for the possible.
I believe my proposal is possible because most Democratic voters don’t pay a property tax bill.
Regarding the so-called “renting” of assets you legally own:
I may be wrong, but it seems that you think that the benefits to local homeowners provided by (for example) local Fire Departments and local Police Departments should be provided to those homeowners for FREE.
Why?
Why shouldn’t the local beneficiaries of government spending, which was approved by local voters, pay the cost of that spending through local taxes?
The phrase “I’d prefer not to.”, strikes me as simple selfishness. Many people want “free stuff”. Why should they get it?
“Words from an Ohio auditor to state. ‘I stand by my values as submitted and have no plans to submit a third tentative abstract raising county wide residential values to 20%.’ Ohio F’n Republicans. This guy was looking for a 14% increase, wasn’t enough for the state.”
In theory, property tax assessments are supposed to be based on arms length transactions between buyers and sellers, but the Federal Reserve is lending a “helping hand” via low interest rates.
By handing a $5,000 annual mortgage interest rate discount to the family who just recently bought a house down the street, the Federal Reserve is forcing the rest of the street’s home owners to pay $10,000 more in property tax annually.
That’s a scam.
“benefits to local homeowners provided by (for example) local Fire Departments”
In my area, I can choose to pay the local volunteer fire company $85/year in dues.
If I refuse and they show up on a call, Florida statutory law provides that I must pay them $800(as of a few years back).
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