Posted on 01/12/2005 5:40:21 PM PST by alienken
Property taxes rising nationwide By Ron Scherer | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor NEW YORK - While fuel prices may be starting to skid, there's another expense closer to home that is upsetting many Americans: rising property taxes.
From Madison, Wis., to Bucks County, Pa., the local tax assessor is dipping deeper into homeowners' pockets as real estate prices rise and states share less of their tax revenue with local governments.
With people starting to receive their 2005 tax bills, the levies are squeezing the middle class and senior citizens - leaving them less to spend on everything from restaurants to roof repair. There is also concern the taxes could particularly hurt the home-buying chances of the young or civil servants such as firefighters. States such as New Jersey now have grass-roots efforts - verging on revolts - for reform.
"There is a property tax crisis," says Myron Orfield, a property tax expert at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. "It's especially bad in states like New Jersey, Ohio, Connecticut, and Illinois, which are property-tax dependent."
Part of the problem lies in demographics and the rapid growth of exurban communities. Young couples who can't afford suburban homes have moved to "edge" communities further from the cities. Those are filled with children, and to educate them the communities have to jack up property taxes to build new schools and hire teachers.
"The property tax system accelerates the sprawl," Mr. Orfield says, "and communities are competing for the few [taxable] businesses."
The changing demographics have combined with an unusual economic phenomenon: home prices climbing at double-digit rates in some areas. This would make homeowners happy, except that an increasing number of communities are now assessing property values every year.
(Excerpt) Read more at clouttexas.com ...
You don't pay your rent(taxes), they will take it from you. We are becoming servants of the state, they are no longer our servants.
LOL
We need to group together start a new party, with some strength, in numbers and vote these silly delusional self promoters out of office.
Whatever party it is, I see it getting sidelined and branded a ringwing fanatical 'michigan milita type' group. Politicians are full of themselves so much that when they get in office they do whatever THEY want and not the people.
Property taxes should be outlawed all together.
In Florida we have Amendment 10, Save our Homes, which limits raises in property taxes of property with homestead exemption.
If you've lived in your home for awhile, it really pays off.
http://www.leepa.org/amendment_10.htm
I knew a person who paid more taxes annually that he originally paid for his small farm. This is the price for living too long in this land of the free and the home of the brave.
When you do your income taxes this year, notice how much your taxes have increased since last year.
Something will give sometime, maybe.
On property valued at what? If you don't mind my asking.
$350,000
I would prefer a state wide property tax over the present system of a half dozen local taxing entities raising my property taxes each year. I get taxed by the following:
Harris County, Harris County Flood Control Dist, Harris County Dept. of Education , Port of Houston Authority , Harris County Hospital District , N Harris Montgomery Comm College, Emergency Service Dist, Emergency Service Dist #11
There are so many people voting to raise my taxes that I can't hold anyone accountable. ,If it were a State wide tax at least I could vote against my State Rep, Senator and the Governor.
"There is also concern the taxes could particularly hurt the home-buying chances of the young or civil servants such as firefighters"
why does crap like this have to be inserted into every article I read? Who cares about civil servants like firefighters?
There are some firefighters I have read about making over 100K a year. Life is rough when you work for the government! what is the true market value of firefighters and other civil servants??-- -I guarantee the government is paying over 100% more in wages and benefits than a private firm would have too pay to get the same quality of work.
We could be headed for disaster. I believe our properties are artificially high. I think we are headed for a rude awakening.
There has to be an end to this insanity. There has got to be a better way.
Well I'm not a revolutionary person. I'll have to pray and rely on God and trust he will raise up a mighty man or woman of God to do what I can't do.
The school spending is the biggest portion of the tax bill. They were the first out of control spenders and now the other taxing bodies are getting the spending addiction too. Libraries, forest preserves, park districts, on and on and on....
Say what you want about California, but in California your property taxes would be 1% or $3500.
Thank you Proposition 13!
I'm not either. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. We must continue to persuit liberty.
One good way to start is to make Congress and State reps part time. They should have to work with the people they make laws over. Right now they are isolated.
If they had to deal with the laws they subject the rest of us to, maybe things would be different.
The tax laws are different for the wealthy than the middle class. Laws have to be equal
We need to end the welfare state. Pay as you go medical and stop feeling sorry for people who will not pull their own weight.
The recent immigrants to our nation, have no idea what we are giving up. They come from supressed nations and are willing to comply with less than they should. TEACH freedom and liberty. End civil rights they are meaningless only Constitutional rights are worthwhile.
I take it prop. 13 is a good thing *LOL* The taxes go up and up and up... let me stop before I get on my soapbox.
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