Paying the way with property Cash-strapped cities eye more taxes, fees on real estate

CBS Market Watch ^ | 10-31-03 | Steve Kerch

[rollo tomasi]

In my warped imagination, I could one day see a politician declaring that owning your home could come under "the sin tax".

Afterall, "how dare you work your butt off to save up money for a down payment while poor people suffer and are forced to live in cramped apartments. Your "sin" of not caring enough has forced us, your elected officials, to impose a tax to punish you. Of course we the virtous elected officials have exempt ourselves from this tax because we are free from sin".

[rollo tomasi]

virtous=virtuous

[metesky]

What is the teacher/student ratio?

[Amerigomag]

How local governments allowed the state to abscond with a lion's share of what were once called "local" property taxes is beyond me.

I am aware this process started when LAUSD cried for a bigger share of state wide property taxes to run their pathethic public education system and got the California Supreme Court to go along with their scheme but I don't remember how Pete Wilson got the rest of the money. The electorate was asleep at the wheel.

While it was easy for large cities/counties, with large electorates to rip off smaller, wealthier cities/counties I'm betting today they wished they hadn't. I'll bet today LA wishes they hadn't reliquised their taxing authority to the state to get a few more education dollars.

[sauropod]

Oh goody!!!

[Tacis]

Just remember, especially in California, much of the burden of property taxes goes to support the much less fortunate who have come among us from Mexico. We are honored to pay for the schools, the medical coverage, the economic impact of sending what they do earn back to Mexico, the jails, the translators, the cost of car insurance, and other public resources they require.

High property taxes will drive most blacks out of urban areas. Then we will have to entice them back with "diversity" tax rates, taxes they can afford. It will be like affirmative action in admissions.

Yep, whitey is going to have to pick up the slack here. We'll raise urban property taxes so we can redistribute that wealth to those who really need it and deserve it.

[SheLion]

Oh no they would never do that! They are gentle fluffy kittens who only have our best interests at heart.

Sometimes, I wish we could just flush them all and start over!

[lewislynn]

Oh yea that's right, if they hadn't raised the tobacco tax on you poor, abused souls none of this would be happening.

Much to yours and other California(n) haters dismay, in California they can impose all the one time fee's they can get away with but they CANNOT raise property taxes to more than 1% of the appraised value....

Here's something else that may grate at your philosophy in more ways than one: Record Liquor License Applications in California

[SheLion]

Afterall, "how dare you work your butt off to save up money for a down payment while poor people suffer and are forced to live in cramped apartments. Your "sin" of not caring enough has forced us, your elected officials, to impose a tax to punish you. Of course we the virtous elected officials have exempt ourselves from this tax because we are free from sin".

That is too sickening.

You know, when people run for office, they promise us the moon to get our vote. Once they are in their seat, they stick it to us every chance they get. I'm tired of it. It's hard to trust any of them anymore.

[SheLion]

Yep, whitey is going to have to pick up the slack here. We'll raise urban property taxes so we can redistribute that wealth to those who really need it and deserve it.

[DumpsterDiver]

Just remember, especially in California, much of the burden of property taxes goes to support the much less fortunate who have come among us from Mexico.

How could any of us in California forget? (A rhetorical question, I assure you.)

It's also going to be hard for rental owners whose property is subject to rent control. The costs go up higher than they can raise the rent.

[rollo tomasi]

Why does it take millions of $$$ to build schools to educate children? Communities are building these multi-million dollar "Cathedrals" posing as places of education and we the tax payers are getting bad results. We should expect a high level of output considering the amount of $$$ being ALREADY pumped into education.

I send my two kids to a private instituion. I pay about $6,000 less than the average State educated student cost. Why is that?

[Amerigomag]

but they CANNOT raise property taxes to more than 1% of the appraised value....

An herein lies the savior of the counties ...appraised value.

While the counties are forced to hand over their property tax receipts to the state the counties are still soley empowered to appraise property values.

How long will it take before the counties figure out it is their best interest to slowly devalue property and shift to use taxes and fees as a way to keep more tax money under local control.

[gitmo]

So you district needs to correct the situation and get the money when it becomes available. There are taxes on new development to cover the additional cost of the new kids, new cars, etc. Why in the world should we raise everyone's taxes because a new family moved into the area. We should lower taxes when a new family moves in, because the cost per person has gone down.

[gitmo]

and in southern Florida builders must now pay a "concurrency" fee of $10,000 per multifamily unit, along with a $16,000 water and sewer fee.

Any idea what a concurrency fee is?

[Carry_Okie]

Property taxes are the perfect Slave Party tax. They look like they hit the rich while they sock it to the poor in higher rent.

[NormsRevenge]

We are become serfs and slaves in a federal, state and local collage of overzealous feeel gooders and spenders , all entrenched in their little and not so little fiefdoms, all committed to their agendas and none of them willing to see that even government must know it's limits and what the people can and should rightly bear to live in a free society and in "harmony".

There is another revolution coming and it will not be pretty but it must happen or the economic socialistic terrorists within will have won and we will all be left with little in our pockets but lintballs.

[DumpsterDiver]

in California they can impose all the one time fee's they can get away with but they CANNOT raise property taxes to more than 1% of the appraised value....

The assessed value of my home went up 2.157%. The state's portion of the property tax was 1% of the assessed value, but after adding in the city and county's portion, the total tax was 1.41608% of the assessed value.

[SheLion]

Any idea what a concurrency fee is?

I have NO idea. Anyone else???

[SheLion]

There is another revolution coming and it will not be pretty but it must happen or the economic socialistic terrorists within will have won and we will all be left with little in our pockets but lintballs.

I know "I'm" tired of having their hands in my pockets, while they live the good life!