Posted on 07/03/2003 4:01:52 PM PDT by american spirit
Next week I'm going in to protest the local property taxes on my home and business and wanted to hear from Texas freepers some good ideas on how to create an effective strategy. These taxes have jumped dramatically and I see no end in sight. I'm curious if there have effective techniques used by other Texans to slow down these local tax assessors.
If all the values have gone up, then I don't think they will pay attention to anything less than a lynch mob.
An accessors job it to set values on properties relative to each other, not to set the amount you pay in taxes.
The amount you pay depends on the Tax Rate set by the Districts. They are the ones you need to protest to if you feel you are paying too much.
So9
Move away.
On the other hand, there is no State or local Income Tax, and that savings will pay a lot of property taxes.
So9
What you can do is inform other property owners. In the late 90's, I ran for a public office (and lost) after charting my local taxes over almost 20 years. The school taxes were unbelievable. But, last year, when my city tax increased by 10%, I checked before I complained and found that my city tax cost had not changed in the 6 prior years. Don't protest on emotion; urge others to check the actual numbers on their annual tax bills.
The county hospital tax cost is relatively modest but is rising a rate that is extraordinary. That is to pay the medical costs of the wetbacks and their children who were born here so they'd be citizens. See if your county hospital will reveal the births to wetbacks (they may use a more PC label). They want the increased revenue to pay these costs next year but don't want the taxpayers to know about the theft of the tax dollars. Data, not emotion, is your strongest ally.
The City of Bedford gave a tax abatement to the Mercedes Benz dealership. Why? Who knows. I asked if anyone believed they would have located out in West Cupcake, Texas instead if they hadn't got Bedford's gift. Intel promised to build a $ billion installation in Fort Worth in exchange for massive abatements. They got the money but haven't built. The rest of us our paying Intel's tax burden on the property they have in reserve.
They called my bluff and banked on my being a wimp. It turns out that once we proved our case to a realestate attorney and the property owners paying the much lower taxes were school board members, relatives of town officials, and long time prominent residents, a simple letter from him got my assessment lowered.
As a result of their unwillingness to comply to my obvious valid request, the assessor took some heat from the county and had to reassess a whole bunch of properties.
I live in a small farming community of about three hundred property owners covering a huge geographic area but very few properties. I don't know if my profile or experience will help but good luck.
Texas Property Taxes: Taxpayers' Rights, Remedies & Responsibilities
From their mission statement:
"C.L.O.U.T. (Citizens Lowering Our Unfair Taxes) As proud citizens of Texas we understand that we have to pay our fair share of taxes in order to fund the important aspects of local and state government. However, our elected officials must make every effort to reduce spending in all areas so as to reduce our tax burden. They must also implement a tax system that is fair to all people. Currently the property tax structure puts an unfair burden on all homeowners.
The current system allows non-elected (and thus not accountable) appraisers to increase our property values up to 10% per year. At that rate the value of a home will double in less than 8 years. That means the average home value of $130,000 will be appraised at over $500,000 in just 15 years with the average homeowner facing yearly taxes of approximately $15,000. In retirement a person would need $300,000 with a 5% return in order to just pay the property taxes. Unless this system is changed, even if a home is paid for, many Texans will be forced out of their homes due to taxes.
The goal of C.L.O.U.T. is to work with the legislature to reduce spending and reduce the tax burden on homeowners. Join us and become a part of the fastest growing grass roots movement in Texas to reduce taxes. In 1998, then Governor George Bush told me that if we did not reduce spending and change the tax system we would have a tax revolt in Texas. The revolt has begun!
Dan Patrick, Founder "
Where I live, in PA, we have a RE tax of $1600, a local income tax of 2%, a state income tax of 1%, a sales tax of 6% and a few nuisance taxes -- an occupation tax (mine is $400, most are lower) and a per capita tax of $10. Students and unemployed are exempt from the occupation tax. Medal of Honor winners are exempt from the RE tax -- that exemption doesn't apply to me.
Thus where I live there is roughly $2000 non income based taxes. That leaves $9000 to be made up in sales and income taxes. Now a sales tax is like an income tax, for one's purchases rise with one's income. Net income, tht is, and not everything one spends on is sales taxed. But for estimating let's use a figure of 1/3 of one's gross goes out again in purchases that are subject to sales tax, that probably overestimates ths sales tax, but its close enough. A 6% sales tax is thus equivalent to a 2% income tax. So Pennsy has an effective income tax (income and sales inclusive) of 4% -- to use round figures. Add my !% local income tax, and the total effective state and local income tax is 5%.
That means my household (my wife and I) would have to gross 20 X 9000, or $180,000 in income to be equivalent to the San Antonio tax rate.
That's very HIGH. Old folks, unemployed folks, retired folks most definitely can not live there. I am mystified at such a high tax rate -- how, politically, can it sustain?
But the good news is that according to state law it can only go up ten percent per year. < /sarcasm >
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