Allegheny County, which is already undergoing property reassessment, offers an instructive example of what is about to happen in Lehigh County. It's bad news for a homeowner struggling to make a monthly payment.
According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, property owners who appeal their new assessments will have to prove they're incorrect. The best way to do this is with a certified appraisal, but that costs money. Even for an 89-year-old widow whose home doubled in value.
While the whole point of reassessment is to insure tax fairness, that goal is defeated when fairness can only be guaranteed to those with the means to pay for it.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
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Monday, February 13, 2012
10 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
Isn't this one more argument in favor of getting rid of the property tax? HB 1776 is under consideration in Pennsylvania legislature currently -- we should tell our representative we support it.
ReplyDeleteDream on.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of equal access to appeals is a problem, but is it enough to change the general trend where people whose properties increased in value pay more, and people whose properties decreased in value will pay less? I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteIt's also important to remember that people can always move. A house can in fact be exchanged for money, and the money can be used to pay for cheaper housing and whatever else people want to spend it on.
People are understandably reluctant to do that, but everybody writing about reassessment should keep in mind that the worst case scenario with these property tax changes is not starvation, but moving.
Now that's compassionate liberalism. Like it or leave it. Geeting and his ilk create new right leaners and libertarians every time they blab or scrawl.
ReplyDeleteBernie, Isn't that what they said about the folks running the American Revolution? Isn't that what they said to Vlacak Havel? Isn't that what they said to Martin Luther King? Dream On. Yup, Dr. King came right back: "I have a dream...." So, same thing for HB1776. Why not?
ReplyDeleteBecause for one thing, the bill does not even exist.
ReplyDeleteI am a Democrat and Geeting just offended me. Nice job there Jon, with young Dem's like you we will have a President Santorum. Now that is chilling.
ReplyDeleteBernie will write anything to protect his buddy the "Dhonnn".
ReplyDeleteI'm a democrat and i think president Santorum would be far better than what we have in there now. I'm actually surprised he's still there.
ReplyDeleteLehigh County will have an "informal" appeal period for several monts so they can deal with those unusual circumstances where somebody is drastically over assessed. No need for an appraisal during this period. It's intended to root out any mistakes or issues.
ReplyDelete