Property tax is the way local governments confiscate property from poor people. It is the most hated tax in America. Commissioner's break local counties all over the Nation through this unfair tax. Do you have an opinion on this?
I see them as a necessary evil. They fund necessary services on a local level such as schools and police. When these taxes begin to be used for purposes beyond the local community and become excessive, they can have negative effects. I believe excessive property taxes are one of the reasons many are leaving states such as California and New York but I acknowledge there are other reasons.
Property Tax, in my understanding is one of the few taxes that were approved from the beginning of these US of A. These funds were (and are) levied by the Respective State in which the Property falls. These taxes are supposed to be used to pay for that State’s Operations and Programs and, though few people care to admit it, the basis of the idea is sound. Owning “Property” means that, in several ways, you are dependent upon the State to provide many services which require funding. Originally I believe the Right to Vote was dependent upon your being a “Property Owner”. As to the setting of those taxes, people ... “Property Owners” ... were incentivized to be involved in and with their State and Local Governments and, to have a powerful voice in what that Tax was to be and how those funds were to be spent. The expansion of the “Right to Vote” to include “Working People” (ie. Other People Paying Taxes) was reasonable as again, it was a case of “Representation Taxes” However, once the “Right to Vote” was expanded to include “Everyone” regardless of their tax payment status, the Rights of Property Owners and Taxpayers was watered down so as to be insignificant. Property Owners and Taxpayers permitted this to occur by Failing to be involved with Their Government. THEY Failed to Protect Their Prerogatives. States are now largely run based on a “Popular Vote” in which a high percentage of the Voters are NOT Taxpayers ... Do NOT have any “Skin in the Game” ... Property Tax remains a reasonable and viable Tax System What has changed is allowing the “Right to Vote” for everyone to enable or force the State to engage in Operations and Programs that are not Suitable or Protective of the Property Owners’ or Taxpayers’ Interests.
As a small-government Classical Liberal I am in most cases anti-tax, but I consider property taxes to be a generally fair means for funding a legitimate function of government: public safety (police cars, fire trucks, snow plows, etc.) And if they are used for too many other purposes and become excessive you can always move.
I don't believe in property taxes. Once you own property, it is yours.
If people are going to take the idea of private property seriously then they need to consider that taxing property is equivalent to renting in a sense.
Besides, the 5th amendment is clear as day regarding private property.
My defense:
The pinned comment in that video provides a strong defense.
Property taxes are dependent on the states and communities which levy them. Not all are created equal. In some states and communities they are quite high; in others fairly low. They are proportional to the willingness of someone to spend money for the purchase of the property. Renters supposedly contribute to the property tax payments as part of their rent; however, this may be restricted by rent controls which transfer wealth from the owner to the renter in the form of a property tax subsidy. The policies behind property taxes are inconsistent, but it's what the representatives of the majority of people have voted. Your choice is to vote with your feet or appeal your assessment. You can use this link to determine where your state ranks and the effective property tax rate. [wallethub.com]
Rank
(1=Lowest)
State
Effective Real-Estate Tax Rate
Annual Taxes on $194K Home*
State Median Home Value
Annual Taxes on Home Priced at State Median Value
51 New Jersey 2.44% $4,725 $321,100 $7,840
50 Illinois 2.31% $4,476 $179,700 $4,157
49 New Hampshire 2.20% $4,257 $244,900 $5,388
48 Connecticut 2.07% $3,999 $270,100 $5,582
47 Wisconsin 1.94% $3,756 $169,300 $3,286
45 Texas 1.83% $3,544 $151,500 $2,775
45 Vermont 1.83% $3,544 $220,600 $4,040
44 Nebraska 1.80% $3,485 $142,400 $2,565
43 New York 1.68% $3,246 $293,000 $4,915
42 Rhode Island 1.66% $3,206 $242,200 $4,013
41 Michigan 1.64% $3,179 $136,400 $2,241
You should also be aware that the relative cost of real estate is important in this exercise. If 2,000 sq.ft. costs $100 per sq. ft. in one state and $300 per sq. ft. in another, you likely will pay far more property taxes for the high cost state than the low cost state for the same lifestyle.
Taxation is theft plain and simple! We can never properly look at how much we are being taxed.
Property taxes should be light and capped at a tiny percentage of market value. The current system reflects a kind of fascism where property rights are nominal st best while supporting outrageous government over reach. In other words your property is private only if it serves the interests of the state otherwise it shall be confiscated