Rising property taxes discourage homeowners
By
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To the editor:
It’s that time of year again when my county treasurer sends me that semiannual reminder that they do exist and that they have a job to do. Of course, what I’m talking about is the fact that my property taxes are due.
As I look over my past statements, I note how they calculated my rates according to what they determined the fair appraisal worth of my home and land.
“Boy,” I think to myself, “if I could get that price for this place, I’d sell it in a heartbeat. Should we add that sunroom out back of the house? It surely will add to the county appraisal and increase my taxes.”
I start to wonder, “Is improving my house just going to penalize me? Why should I be penalized for improving my place? Maybe it’s better to just let the place run down or maybe I should have just built a small 2- room shack?”
Building a small 2-room shack probably would have been out of the question because somewhere, and at sometime, some zoning board would have predetermined that it was unfit for me to build a small 2- room shack for my own use on my own land. I guess they would know what makes me comfortable.
What it boils down to is that the government penalizes those who try to improve their lot. The more you succeed, the more you are taxed.
Of course, there are people who don’t succeed, for whatever reason - either because of bad luck, bad decisions or just lack of effort. Let’s face it. Some of us will make it big, some will stay small and some will hover somewhere in the middle. It’s life.
Is it fair to tax those who experience success in order to aid the shortcomings of others?
If you want more, then go out and get more through hard work, education and the occasional risk of humiliation. But, whatever you do, don’t tax those who somehow manage to succeed.
Sincerely,
Jeff Pence
Greenfield
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It’s that time of year again when my county treasurer sends me that semiannual reminder that they do exist and that they have a job to do. Of course, what I’m talking about is the fact that my property taxes are due.
As I look over my past statements, I note how they calculated my rates according to what they determined the fair appraisal worth of my home and land.
“Boy,” I think to myself, “if I could get that price for this place, I’d sell it in a heartbeat. Should we add that sunroom out back of the house? It surely will add to the county appraisal and increase my taxes.”
I start to wonder, “Is improving my house just going to penalize me? Why should I be penalized for improving my place? Maybe it’s better to just let the place run down or maybe I should have just built a small 2- room shack?”
Building a small 2-room shack probably would have been out of the question because somewhere, and at sometime, some zoning board would have predetermined that it was unfit for me to build a small 2- room shack for my own use on my own land. I guess they would know what makes me comfortable.
What it boils down to is that the government penalizes those who try to improve their lot. The more you succeed, the more you are taxed.
Of course, there are people who don’t succeed, for whatever reason - either because of bad luck, bad decisions or just lack of effort. Let’s face it. Some of us will make it big, some will stay small and some will hover somewhere in the middle. It’s life.
Is it fair to tax those who experience success in order to aid the shortcomings of others?
If you want more, then go out and get more through hard work, education and the occasional risk of humiliation. But, whatever you do, don’t tax those who somehow manage to succeed.
Sincerely,
Jeff Pence
Greenfield
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