vfdb wrote:
ij wrote:
Considering that where I live that pays for schools, fire protection, ambulance service, the sheriff's office, snow plowing, road maintenance, and a host of other important services that help maintain the value and utility of my property, I'd say it's well worth while.
I don't disagree. I just wish that there was an exemption for the elderly. People who have lived most of their lives in a home shouldn't face the prospect of needing to move to avoid property taxes. If you've been in the same home for 10+ years, are over the age of 65, and it is your primary residence, you should be exempt from property tax. I'd be fine paying more now to help people in those situations.
In California that's called Proposition 13. It's not quite an exemption per se, but property taxes do not spiral out of control as home prices do. My next door neighbors in their mid 80s, who are original owners of their property, pay about $2800/year in prop tax on their house. They'd have been absolutely forced out long ago if they had to pay based on current market value of their house. Progressives want to remove that protection.