In the UK 'council tax' is paid at a level set, in bands, by the value of your house and your band is generally not reassessed unless you request it. Additional

In the UK 'council tax' is paid at a level set, in bands, by the value of your house and your band is generally not reassessed unless you request it. Additionally, if you're unemployed, retired, or the house is 100% occupied by students, the amount payable is reduced (to £0 in some cases). The charge for council tax is set at the 'band C' level, and scaled up/down for bands A-H. (A being the lowest property value.) Additionally we have 'stamp duty', which is paid when you sell the house, as a percentage of the sale price above a threshold, and if you've lived in the property for less than three years you're also liable for capital gains tax on the sale. This isn't an ideal system - but it does present an alternative to what's being discussed here. I imagine that a quick trip through Wikipedia would show other alternatives in use throughout Europe.