[who_would_fardels_bear]

I lived in Colorado in the 90's. The taxes we paid were based on the appraised value and the mill levy. As the appraised values of homes went up, the city I lived in lowered the mill levy so that my taxes remained about the same from year to year.

But then the city I lived in was run by conservative Republicans.

If you are/were living in a city run by liberal Democrats then you should expect your taxes to become ridiculously high.

In most states the mill levy varies from city to city. It is usually included as part of any real estate ad so buyers can decide if they can afford to live in an otherwise inexpensive home in an expensive neighborhood.

In Boulder they tended to tax higher for all of the liberal nonsense that the citizens voted for. But they had a concession for the senior citizens: the seniors could continue to pay taxes at a constant rate, but the city would keep track of the difference between what they paid and what they should have paid. When the seniors passed away a lien would be placed on the property for the difference. If the children could afford it, they could pay off the lien and keep the home, otherwise they might have to sell it in order to pay off the debt.

Of course in California seniors believe that somewhere in the Bible or the US Constitution it states they have a God-given right to pay low property taxes throughout their lives and pass on their house to their children debt-free.

I'm still looking for those passages, but have failed to find them.

[GeronL]

The idea of taxing an estate for property taxes someone “should have paid” is so ridiculous and contemptuous as to not even deserve a comment.

[Carry_Okie]

Of course in California seniors believe that somewhere in the Bible or the US Constitution it states they have a God-given right to pay low property taxes throughout their lives and pass on their house to their children debt-free.

I'm still looking for those passages, but have failed to find them.

"...nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."

Property taxes were a socialist idea from the beginning, from the fevered mind of Henry George.

[morphing libertarian]

Uh actually this came from the taxpayers in California if you’re looking for a source. We got tired of seniors being evicted for failure to pay ever increasing property taxes. Property taxes which far exceeded their basic mortgage payments.

We decided as have many US taxpayers, that seniors are not capable of earning at increasing levels as they get older. So we decided to give them break if that stayed in the same house, which most o they had paid for.

I know this disturbs you, but this is what we voted for. Life can be a bitch when the little old lady down the street pays 10% of the property tax you do because you decided to buy another house and move. Cost of doing business.

Maybe we should start taxing kids also and force them into labor if they can’t pay their way.