Text 32947, 56 rader
Skriven 2009-06-02 04:32:37 av Dan Ceppa (1:138/666.0)
     Kommentar till en text av Dale Shipp
Ärende: Property taxes
======================
-> On 01 Jun 09  19:16:00, Dale Shipp got back to Dan Ceppa 
-> Re: Property taxes

 DC> Now comes the fun part:  Are you assessed at twice as much as the
 DC> city?   

 DS> Nope -- the assessment is done by the state, not by the counties.  It
 DS> is supposed to reflect the value of the property.  Each county then
 DS> determines its tax rate in $ per $100 of assessed value.  Baltimore
 DS> City puts that at $2.268 for each $100 of assessed value.  My county
 DS> taxes at a rate of $1.014 per $100.   Lowest county rate is $0.321 per
 DS> $100. 

That doesn't quite answer my question.  I know of some places where a 
$100k house is assessed at $50k and the rate is $2 /$100.  The town next 
door has a tax rate of $1 / $100, but the same $100k house is 
valued at $200k   Which taxes would you prefer to pay!  


 DC> Where property taxes go really wrong is that they are based on
 DC> "assesed  evaluation".  The only fair evaluation should be on purchase
 DC> price, plus,  perhaps, exterior improvements.  

 DS> Why?  If you look at the property data base, you can see many
 DS> properties that sold for $0.  Should they pay no taxes?  I have no
 DS> arguement against a rate based on current value of the property.
 
If that's what they bought it for, yes.  However, my guess is that those 
were properties transfered via a will.  As it is well below market, at 
least the prior recorded purchase price should be used.  

 DC> It's not my problem that my neighbor paid 10x what I paid for my
 DC> place.   Until I sell mine, it's only worth what I paid for it and not
 DC> a dollar  more.  In fact, unless I sell, it isn't worth anything to
 DC> anyone else  but me.  To base my taxes on a neigbor that overpaid for
 DC> the house next  door is entirely wrong.  

 DS> Your point of view -- but one that is not reality.
 
It is reality.  There is added value to my property because some idiot 
pays too much for the house next door.  

 DC> In fact, such practices have driven fixed income persons out of their 
 DC> family homes that that had all their lives.  I find the practice 
 DC> criminal.  

 DS> Many states have enacted laws to give senior citizens on fixed income
 DS> a break with respect to increasing property assessments.  They vary.

And, it's taken a while to get there.  That it has to be done is an
illustration as to why going on assessed evaluation is wrong.  That's 
especially true in this economic climate.  You can't sell your house 
amd you can't afford to keep it!  

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