On Wed, 29 Jan 2014 11:50:42 -0600, Swingman wrote:

On 1/29/2014 10:05 AM, Leon wrote:
Property taxes based on perceived value is a farce, scam, sham, you name
it.

Paying a tax for the value on your house is unfair. You don't get extra
services than your next door neighbor nor does he get more services than
you yet one of you is paying more tax to offset government spending.

The fact that the government picks an ever changing variable makes it
easy to increase taxes with out back lash.
If every one paid the same tax for said services the government would
have to have a better reason/excuse to increase taxes as every one would
be affected.

It is far easier to pick on individuals and increase their taxes than to
increase the taxes across the board on everyone.


Every property owner under the same taxing authority should pay the same
property tax. That is the only, fair to all, schedule to use.

All the above, to include the most important point:

The practice of appraisal districts setting an "appraised value" for
taxing purposes arguably, and ultimately, results in "taxation without
representation".

The politicians, whom you elect to represent you, do NOT have to raise
taxes by increasing the "tax rate" in order to raise your taxes. You
can't hold their feet to the fire at the next election if they attempt
to "raise taxes".

Ah, here we have the sticking point. The government expenditures *are*
voted on by either the people or the representatives. Taxation is
simply the means to balance the sheet. If they vote for the expense,
the tax is guaranteed.

Interestingly, when I moved South, I found even property taxes were
done very differently. In the North (Vermont, in this case), the
expenses were set by the government (either representative or by
direct vote - another scam but that's for a different time) and the
"grand list" (the value of all properties) was set by the assessors.
The millage was then total expenses/"grand list" (everyone then pays
their assessed value * millage). The "grand list" was updated (100%
assessment) at least once a decade. Simple enough but it causes all
sorts of ugliness when property values are changing wildly. Then
there is the expense of creating and keeping the "grand list".

In AL and GA, the tax rate is set and the property value is set.
Government then has to live with the results. When property values
plummeted, so did the money available to the municipalities. My taxes
actually went down every year I lived in AL (even this year). That
would *never* happen in VT.

Here in Texas the political class have simply created a quasi-government
entity in the "county appraisal districts", effectively insulating
themselves from being held accountable to rises in taxes by increases in
"appraised values", not the "tax rate".

But they *are* responsible for the millage and the expenses, no?

AAMOF, I filed suit against all Harris County, TX taxing authorities and
districts regarding this very thing in 1981.

Five years later, after one continuance after another by the lawyers
representing each of the entities, who took turns showing up in court as
a delaying tactic, I had paid, fool that I am, +/- $5k in attorneys fees.

I had to give it up when the O&G industry hit the skids in 1986 ... as
an individual, you simply can't beat city hall's ability to beat you
with tax payer dollars (based on those same appraised values).

This is certainly true. Government has more guns, too.

I gave it a shot, but the *******s won in the end. I knew better but,
having the financial resources at the time, I did it anyway, figuring
someone had to speak out .. for the ****ing good it did.