In Brownstones, Taxes Suddenly Rise

The New York Times ^ | February 20, 2005 | JOSH BARBANEL

[TBP]

This is an outrageous increase and this is what happens with liberals like Mike Bloomberg in power.

This increase punishes people for wroking hard to reclaim rundown properties and make them nicer. It punishes people for upgrading the neighborhood. That is a silly, counterproductive policy that serves only to keep poor neighborhoods poor longer.

That may well be by design, as we know liberals profit from other people's misery.

[Clemenza]

Thank you Mayor Mike! Now all the "brownstoners" will simply cash out and start fixing up similar properties in Jersey City.

[Aetius]

Didn't Bloomberg only switch to the GOP because he couldn't win the Democratic primary? So this is no surprise at all.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Yikes, $2K/month in property taxes is insane.

[Alberta's Child]

I'm looking at this from the other side. Any landlord in the city of New York who pays $4,100 in taxes on a four-family apartment building is shafting the other taxpayers of the city (including me) in a big way. Just think of all the public services these families use in New York (including 40,000 police officers, the best fire department in the nation, the most expensive school system, etc,) -- and ask yourself who the hell is supposed to pay for it if the people who live in the city don't.

[drt1]

It's double whammy. They probably can't 'Cash out' easily because the tax burden kills resale value. By the same token, if they stay, they're forced to rent whether they want to or not, just to make ends meet. All to fund bloated, corrupt Gov't and ineffective Schools.

[Clemenza]

I gather you are a "renter."

NY City needs to take a chainsaw to its municipal government, whether that be family services, legal aid, the police department, etc.

[Alberta's Child]

I gather you are a "renter."

Even worse. I don't even live in this city (I work there), but I get to pay taxes to support all the folks who do.

[speed_addiction]

Just think of all the public services these families use in New York (including 40,000 police officers, the best fire department in the nation, the most expensive school system, etc,)

If New York stuck to just those services and stopped trying to wet nurse everyone, $4100 would be plenty. But everybody wants something.

[Clemenza]

Ahh, the "commuter tax." Gotta love it! :-)

[Alberta's Child]

They probably can't 'Cash out' easily because the tax burden kills resale value.

They can always forego their proposed upgrade in the occupancy of the building. The article gives the impression that the tax increase is tied directly to their conversion of the building to a four-family home.

[Torie]

They add 370,000 in value supposedly, and get a 19,000 tax increase. That's a 5.1% tax rate. That's insane.

[Alberta's Child]

I agree with you 100%, but if the city is going to be a Marxist toilet, then everyone ought to pay the price.

[Torie]

For every $100 of improvements, they are being charged $5.50 in extra property tax, compared with 91 cents for owners of one- to three-family houses.

Does that policy make the slightest sense at all, in anyone's universe?

[Alberta's Child]

That's not much different than what you see all over the state of New York. A few weeks ago I saw a post from a Freeper in upstate New York who was paying $5,000 in property taxes on a home with an assessed value of something like $90,000.

[clee1]

Anyone that choses to live in that crime-ridden, liberal ruled helhole gets what they asked for.

Don't like it? Move to a red state.

[Larry Lucido]

The woman was on Hannity. He asked if this has made her more Republican. She said no. My sympathy level dropped significantly.

[stockpixx]

Glad I live in FLY-OVER Country

[drt1]

That's true (She was on Hannity & C tonight - Must be a slow day so they needed a 'Model'). Nonetheless, the increase in assessed value of 370,000 and an increase of some 20,000 in taxes is excessive and would appear discriminatory to owners of multi-family units - Not unusual in NYC.

[Alberta's Child]

That's not unusual. Most municipalities treat "private homes" differently than "apartment buildings." In my town, I think anything over two families is considered an "apartment building" . . . it looks like New York uses three families as the limit instead of two.