Posted on 10/31/2005 5:18:40 PM PST by GeorgiaDawg32
The one-room cabin David Bischoff built in a cow pasture three years ago has no electricity, no running water, no phone service and no driveway. What it does have is a wide-open view of nearby hills and distant mountains _ which makes it seven times more valuable than if it had no view, according to the latest townwide property assessment. He expects his property taxes to shoot up accordingly.
Bischoff and other Orford residents bitterly call that a "view tax," and they are leading a revolt against it that has gained support in many rural towns in New Hampshire.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Has anyone noticed that when realtors and assessors talk about a view it always seems to be based on that being viewed having value in inverse proportion to people or artifacts viewed?
Not necessarily. Some of the most highly prized views in the San Francisco Bay Area are of the city skyline from afar, the Golden Gate, etc. but I do think you've noticed that, as nature becomes more scarce and as people get more alienated from it in life, it becomes a valued good. That the government should have an armed monopoly in managing that product is insane.
I lived in Germany. There are never any closets built into homes and apartments, for the same reason.
I agree with your comments.
Go down the road aways and take the time to view the Lone Cypress, the most photographed site along the Pacific coast; that silent sentinel evokes the lonely isolation that lurks inside each of us, but no houses are built with a view of its mocking durability.
Maybe it is only after we have become resigned to the mess that people have made of the landscape that we want to capture just a small piece of its remembered or imagined glory for our own, to keep out the despoilers.
Back to San Francisco, maybe the allure lies in the recognition that, when all else fails, that bridge is a way to escape.
It's ambitious politicians and bureaucrats in cahoots with greedy developers using the force of government to their own ends and robbing those that are politically unconnected.
I certainly agree with you. The value of a view is entirely speculative, and would be a "weapon of mass appreciation" in the hands of an assessor.
You got me puzzled on that one. I understand about the "affordability factor" and agree but what is wrong with the property tax? I'd rather have mine a little high and not have to pay any stinkin sales or income tax. (This IS New Hampshire and by gum, I hope it stays that way.)
The thing you forget about sales tax......it takes approval BY VOTE before collection begins. No sales tax can be collected without a vote of the people. And many sales taxes have sunset clauses which require voter approval for renewal. Income taxe proposals are fully open for the people whenever the legislature debates the procedure. People have a voice in the process, depending on access to their local politician etc.
But property taxes are arbitrarly set by a county assessor based on criteria such as the value of adjoining property, what adjoining property has sold for, improvements to that property or adjoining property, road access, school district etc. The property tax rate for school tax is subject to voter approval (in Missouri anyhow), but the assessor has sole final say on the value placed on a property. The taxpayer can challenge the assessment, but only after paying the tax in full but under protest. Then hearings are held. Hopefully enough affected land owners in a certain area cause enough commotion to get a rollback, although each individual property is a seperate challenge with a seperate hearing. But if the land in question is lightly populated and owned by just a few, typically rural landowners, challenges are hard to win.
Another tool in Missouri is the automatic re-assessment of property every 3 years. Our state has granted the county the ability to re-assess and raise property values automatically every 3 years. Even if there are no improvements in that period the assessor automatically increases the value by 5-10-15-30% depending on inflation, growth and demand of property etc.
Although property tax is the main way local and county governments gain operating revenue, and fund schools, the expansion of government services continues to require more funding. This insatiable appetite for raising taxes gives the government collecting those taxes too much leaway and opens the potential for abuse like the view tax outlined in this forum.
Unlike in the case of sales and income tax where large groups can organize and fight unfair taxation, property taxes can only be fought one land owner at a time. Private income paying one lawyer while the government uses everyones tax money as leverage to pay their lawyers makes the system stacked heavily in favor of government tyranny over private property rights. Abuse of individual rights by government can not be tolerated in any form.
Cavuto on Fox will cover this topic on Thursday. Should be interesting to see his take.
What happens in your state if you DON'T pay the property tax?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.