4 ms·

Do those that 'own' a home today in the US really own it? You still have to pay property tax against the "property value" which is a completely arbitrary numbe

by aeyes 4y ago

Do those that 'own' a home today in the US really own it? You still have to pay property tax against the "property value" which is a completely arbitrary number set by an outsider. If you don't pay, you lose your home - that is not my definition of ownership.

coffeeblack 4y ago
Good point, don’t understand why it’s downvoted. Could people who downvote leave a comment with their reason?
- nemo44x 4y ago
  Because it's a very misinformed opinion. For 1 it isn't arbitrary and it isn't a random person. It is elected officials that set the tax and the price is based on the community budget. Where I live we have high property taxes but we don't complain because we vote for this. We want nice schools, clean parks that are manicured, frequent refuse and recycling service, clean streets, a well staffed police force and fire departments, a fancy 4th of July parade, etc. This stuff isn't free and we choose to fund it with property taxes instead of income taxes, etc. If you won't or can't pay your tax then you have to sell your property to someone who can. This is what the community that lives in an area agreed on. You can take your house with you though. It's totally up to you to lift it, put it on a truck and put it on a different piece of land, considering the bank doesn't own it. Feel free to find land with no taxes and put your home there.
Jaepa 4y ago
It's kind of a false equivalence to compare taxes, to something like rent. If you wanted an argument for not owning housing, a better argument would be something like zoning restrictions.
abeppu 4y ago
But where did you get your definition of ownership? Property taxes in the US predate the US as an independent country. Do you think the owner should be able to set the value? Should anyone be able to declare that their property is worth $0 and therefore no tax is owed? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Property_tax_in_the_United_States#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Property_tax_in_the_United_Sta...

by aeyes 4y ago

coffeeblack 4y ago

Good point, don’t understand why it’s downvoted. Could people who downvote leave a comment with their reason?

nemo44x 4y ago
Because it's a very misinformed opinion. For 1 it isn't arbitrary and it isn't a random person. It is elected officials that set the tax and the price is based on the community budget. Where I live we have high property taxes but we don't complain because we vote for this. We want nice schools, clean parks that are manicured, frequent refuse and recycling service, clean streets, a well staffed police force and fire departments, a fancy 4th of July parade, etc. This stuff isn't free and we choose to fund it with property taxes instead of income taxes, etc. If you won't or can't pay your tax then you have to sell your property to someone who can. This is what the community that lives in an area agreed on. You can take your house with you though. It's totally up to you to lift it, put it on a truck and put it on a different piece of land, considering the bank doesn't own it. Feel free to find land with no taxes and put your home there.

Jaepa 4y ago

It's kind of a false equivalence to compare taxes, to something like rent. If you wanted an argument for not owning housing, a better argument would be something like zoning restrictions.

abeppu 4y ago

But where did you get your definition of ownership? Property taxes in the US predate the US as an independent country. Do you think the owner should be able to set the value? Should anyone be able to declare that their property is worth $0 and therefore no tax is owed? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Property_tax_in_the_United_States#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Property_tax_in_the_United_Sta...