Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire My Property Tax rant

I think alot of Americans just accept that property taxes are a necessary tax to address you contributing your fair share to your local community

but I often think about how bad a property tax is on the average American.

first, its a tax on an asset you don't have access to. Your primary home isn't a source of income, its not a liquid asset, yet your taxes are based on the value of that property which you have no control over. You could live in a house 20 years and see the value of that home go up $100K but not get a penny of it - in interest or any other form because its your primary residence, yet you are taxed on that value. (varies in some states I know). Not once, but year over year.

If you don't pay your taxes on it, you lose your home - an asset that either you own outright or are paying on

I get that everyone who lives in a community should contribute to the shared services - education, police, fire, senior services, maintenance, etc., but tying it your home value is grossly unfair.

Income tax is based on realizable liquidity and you have strategies to control and normalize that tax - pre tax investments, deferred income, capital gains, etc

as far as I know - not property tax. The only strategy is to move.

In California, they are so messed up they believe that property taxes are a strategy for creating inventory in the market. Think about that for a second - taxes are such a burden that homeowners choose to sell to get out from under their tax burden as opposed to staying in the home/community they want to live in. The communities accept this because housing turnover ultimately creates more revenue.
This has to be so frustrating for fixed income people who have worked their entire lives to be a part of the community and then deal with the community pricing them into moving elsewhere.

I don't know what the solution is. I want to pay for my share of community services as it adds to the value of my quality of life (and yes, my home value) but I don't want it tied to my home.

Property taxes are simply wrong. All the stuff about "contributing to the community", etc. is bs. Why would anybody have to pay a tax on something they supposedly already own in a free country? Out of all types of taxes, property taxes are the most bogus.

You don't fully understand how things work, but you seem to be getting there. You really have no assets. You rent your real estate from the government. They'll allow you to live there as long as you pay the rent and no longer.

The only thing I can think of is that all property(wealth taxes) taxes be eliminated and that in their place they raise sales tax amounts to cover those government expenses. Everyone gets to chip in that way, even the illegals that perhaps don't pay other taxes.

I looked at zillow the other day and my old place in Chicago is now getting $14,000 a year in property taxes. Hey those public pensions and school districts back there must be doing pretty good.

As long as the various government bodies spend money, someone has to pay taxes. They have it figured you will pay, or lose the property.

I HATE, fugging HATE property tax. I've been writing letters and I'm going to start attending meetings, etc but I know it will never go anywhere, but I have to try.

It should just go away, but if not, up the sales tax. Nothing more fair than EVERYONE paying the same. If you make $10 a year or $10 billion, you're all paying the same percentage on items purchased. And lets face it, the ones with 17 kids, living in a mobile home and the ones paying all the taxes for community services.

The problem with trying to increase sales tax is all the idiots that say 12% for EVERYONE is unfair to the poor. Also, all the bastards that don't pay property taxes (but of course benefit from them) don't want sales taxes increased. Pisses me off.

Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. House value, for tax purposes, should never surpass that last purchase price.Why the fugg should a 75 year old couple that bought a house for $6k 50 years ago a be paying property taxes on their house that is now valued at $200k.

I''d be more comfortable with a consumption tax. At least its gives fixed income people a chance to choose - a steak or hamburger kinda thing.

I think the variability of it is what scares local communities though. A recession hits and they lose 30% of their projected revenue.

Grandy, Colorado is going to have to happen many more times before things change.

Also, government should be out of the school business. You want to have 10 kids and you expect the school to feed them breakfast and lunch for free, drive them to and from home and provide daycare. You pay.


I'm sick and tired of paying for other people's children, and no, I don't give a [bleep] about your kid.

Zillow is kind of why I went on my rant this morning too. I looked at my home value on Zillow and then I started doing the math on how much my taxes are going to go up next time I get an assessment - which they do around here with every downturn in the economy. I'll be seeing about a $1200 a year increase if Zillow is accurate.

Here's the problem I have with property taxes..........it's pretty much taxing a person for their hard work, is a double tax, because you've already paid taxes on the money you used to purchase that property, and if you own property and pay taxes on it, you're paying for those that don't own property and are getting a free ride in that department.

We pay our school taxes on our property tax bill, along with a set amount that goes to the local volunteer fire department. In the county that I live in, we have a large population of Blacks and poor Whites. I don't have any numbers to back me up, but I'd say that least 40-50% of the children in school come from families that don't pay any school taxes whatsoever. Is that fair to those people who do own property and pay taxes, and in particular is it fair to the older people who don't have kids in school?

As far as the local volunteer fire departments go, they've gotten rich off this property tax money. The one that serves me has bought all kinds of stuff, and though they do serve a very good purpose, they've also been able to buy some "toys" with that money that from what I see has very little with firefighting.

If there is any consolation in this, it is the fact that Kentucky's property taxes are some of the lowest in the nation. We also get a Homestead Exemption for persons over 65 on their homes, so that helps out too. It could be worse, as we could have a tax rate like the Yankee states have.

We used to live in New Lebanon OH... the whole CAUV rollback was a real kick in the balls... watching taxes double over two years... and then some.

Bunch of us fought it and that is when it became apparent that Ohio government is run by Troglodytes 1/2 as smart as a Nematode...

Stealing from Peter to Paul, but Paul is broke. We moved.

Best of luck to you.

We now own 305 acres in WV... and taxes are $1/acre a year... don't like it, but ain't gonna fight it either.

I often wonder how /why has been allowed to happen in communities if so many people are against it.

Like a traffic camera

Local community puts up a traffic camera in the interest of security when its an obvious revenue generator. The local government has created a situation to soak the residents of their community

and for the most part they just accept it and move on. I drive thru towns that have traffic camera "for strict enforcement of traffic laws" and wonder how they let them be set up for that.


I think property taxes have become that way. They hold your kids education, your safety and your net value hostage to insure they get what they want from you.

I'd rather pay a property tax than an income tax. At least you have SOME control over it, you don't need a large house, get a smaller one.

For renters, they ARE paying property tax, they just don't get the deduction for it on federal taxes, it's factored into the rent they pay.

The thing that I hate about it is the lack of consistency. We are in the process of selling our house, for some reason our property taxes are about $1000 higher than all our neighbors and they are roughly the same house. Makes no sense.

Everything is for the kids. People won't fight it as they are afraid everyone will think they don't care about kids.


Seriously, how old are you? I'd say 97 people out of 100 that I have encountered in life do NOT like confrontation. Most will not say anything, but bitch to themselves. When confronted about it, most will lie, as lying is considered far more polite than telling the truth.

Most people are cowards.

Yeah, all them section eighters are paying property tax.

Well, it’s about time to pay those taxes, ours are due Feb 1

I'm not going to say I'm a confrontation guy but I've attended multiple community and board member meetings over the years - from a public reading of an audit on the school board to giving away public property for a developer for next to nothing. I'd like to think I'm engaged, probably more so than the average guy. That comes from living in a small town for 20 years.

But I've never been on the winning side against a tax increase.

Property tax is a clear violation of private property rights. It is no stretch at all to say they are unconstitutional. Same damn thing with vehicle registration taxes based on the value of the vehicle.

I had a dream the other night, I didn't understand.
A figure walking through the mist, with flintlock in his hand.
His clothes were torn and dirty, as he stood there by my bed.
He took off his three-cornered hat, and speaking low, he said:

"We fought a revolution, to secure our liberty.
We wrote the Constitution, as a shield from tyranny.
For future generations, this legacy we gave.
In this, the land of the free and the home of the brave.

"The freedom we secured for you, we hoped you'd always keep.
But tyrants labored endlessly while your parents were asleep.
Your freedom gone, your courage lost, you're no more than a slave.
In this, the land of the free and home of the brave.

"You buy permits to travel, and permits to own a gun,
Permits to start a business, or to build a place for one.
On land that you believe you own, you pay a yearly rent.
Although you have no voice in choosing, how the money's spent.

"Your children must attend a school that doesn't educate.
Your Christian values can't be taught, according to the state.
You read about the current news, in a regulated press.
You pay a tax you do not owe, to please the I.R.S.

"Your money is no longer made of Silver or of Gold.
You trade your wealth for paper, so your life can be controlled.
You pay for crimes that make our Nation, turn from God in shame.
You've taken Satan's number, as you've traded in your name.

"You've given government control, to those who do you harm,
So they can padlock churches, and steal the family farm,
And keep our country deep in debt, put men of God in jail,
Harass your fellow countrymen, while corrupted courts prevail.

"Your public servants don't uphold the solemn oath they've sworn.
Your daughters visit doctors, so their children won't be born.
Your leaders ship artillery, and guns to foreign shores,
And send your sons to slaughter, fighting other people's wars.

"Can you regain the freedom for which we fought and died?
Or don't you have the courage, or the faith to stand with pride?
Are there no more values for which you'll fight to save?
Or do you wish your children, to live in fear and be a slave?

"People of the Republic, arise and take a stand!
Defend the Constitution, the Supreme Law of the Land!
Preserve our Great Republic, and GOD-Given Right!
And pray to GOD, to keep the torch of Freedom burning bright!"

As I awoke he vanished, in the mist from whence he came.
His words were true, we are not Free, we have ourselves to blame.
For even now as tyrants, trample each GOD-Given Right,
We only watch and tremble, too afraid to stand and fight.

If he stood by your bedside, in a dream, while you're asleep,
And wonders what remains of our Rights he fought to keep,
What would be your answer, if he called out from the grave:
"IS THIS STILL THE LAND OF THE FREE AND HOME OF THE BRAVE???

I got my bill in yesterday. It went up 21%. I was Pissed!!!!

The school my daughter goes to doesn’t have enough books to go around so she can’t bring about half of them home to study with, but the school is building a 12-million-dollar arts center so that a bunch of sugar britches can dance around and making us pay for it.

A year or so ago we had a vote on the arts center. I think 89% voted no to building it. Later it was explained to us that we only voted on allowing the county to borrow the money for the building and that they were building it anyway.