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Property tax is interesting but probably in a different category as you are sharing space/property with a local government. I hope we have a historian here tha
by LinuxBender 5y ago
Property tax is interesting but probably in a different category as you are sharing space/property with a local government. I hope we have a historian here that knows the background and rationale on property tax. It is interesting that it is tied to the value of the property and not simply based on the size of the lot.
- nickpp 5y agoNot a historian but I suspect that property taxes were originally meant to pay for things like infrastructure, garbage, police, firefighters, schools, etc. Pretty much community costs incurred by the development of the area including and around your property. Of course, without actual transparence and accountability and considering the state of said infrastructure, schools, etc, it is hard to know where these taxes actually go nowadays.
- Retric 5y agoThat doesn’t explain taxing boats/cars/etc. The historic reality is property tax was equivalent to wealth tax for thousands of years. It’s only recently that intangible assets became so valuable.
- nickpp 5y agoActually car taxes were also justified by infrastructure costs around here. No idea about boats, as I don't own one. I suspect you may be right about property tax tough - historically land-owners were rich-lord types and had to pay "fealty" to the crown. So I guess tax history is complicated?! There is also the modern issue of pollution taxes which should be taken into consideration. For example it's long past time for a carbon tax...
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]