All so that you can have a property tax? No. I live in Santa Cruz County, CA. The largest industry in this County is disability.
I believe that one of the reasons why Republicans are doing so poorly in California is that Prop 13 is a free ride for liberals who also hypocritically support low taxes.
While I agree that the initiative process, as installed by "progressive" Republican (RINO) Hiram Johnson, absolves the legislature of accountability and has protected it from being pitched, that does not mean that the hordes of shiftless mouths we feed today won't put a gun to our heads. There is no end to the amount of money they "need." As it is, Prop 13 keeps them from dipping into that bucket, and if they are told that it is to their advantage, they will, even if they are also told it will raise their rent.
This is the first I've heard that property tax is socialist.
Well then you have not been listening well during your long foray at FreeRepublic. A property tax is effectively a share in ownership, a payment to the State that will take your property should you fail to do so. Guess what that means as to who has the final say about your property?
I suggest you do a little reading. Henry George was an archetype of progressivism.
Taxes may be bad in general, but property taxes if collected and spent at the local level, allow for more local control than state income or sales taxes.
There are local sales and income taxes too you know.
Prop 13 has been a major factor in moving control away from localities towards state government. Cities had no way to increase their local revenues and cried to the state to reimburse them. Now their hands are tied because of all the state support they get.
One stop shopping for those who buy influence. OTOH, who is supposed to guarantee and protect your rights? The Feds?
Also, I see the downside of Prop 13 with regard to less than optimal use of property. There are really crappy properties all around Los Angeles most likely because the owners can afford to allow them to rot in place because of the low taxes they are paying. If they had to pay higher taxes then they would have to put the properties to better use which would almost certainly result in the creation of jobs in fixing up the places, and jobs at the new businesses occupying the improved space.
You bitch about the corruption in redevelopment in one sentence and demand it in the next. Unbelievable. You like forcing people to live the way you want eh? What a control freak.
I have no problem if people decide to redevelop their own properties in order to increase profitability. Nothing I wrote suggests that I support government funded redevelopment. Having similar property treated equally so that market players make decisions based on profitability rather than tax avoidance is a good thing in most conservatives' books. If you want houses to be treated differently than businesses then get your representatives to create zoning districts ... which surprise surprise they already have.
You and a few others might get your panties in a bunch over property taxes, but that is not a universal concern of conservatives.
I have no desire to force people to live the way I want. I like that some people have large ranches while others are comfortable in tiny little apartments. Vive la difference!
It seems like you're the one that wants to tweak the market so that single-family home ownership is the favored option. You're the one that wants everyone to live in his/her own individual cookie cutter house. I suspect you are a Realtor or a contractor.