• unmagical@lemmy.ml
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    4 days ago

    The hatred of property tax really pisses me off.

    I have a mortgage on the house in which I reside. I have to pay property tax on the house in which I reside. My annual property taxes are less than half the minimum monthly payment for my mortgage. If I can afford my monthly payment I can afford my taxes. If I can’t afford my monthly payment the taxes aren’t the problem.

    And what do I actually get for that less than half a monthly mortgage payment in annual taxes?

    • 2 large parks with miles of walking paths, a playground, a basketball and a soccer court, all maintained and within 2 blocks
    • maintained roads to my house that are cleaned regularly
    • decent schools nearby

    Yes, I recognize I got lucky and am privileged enough to have, not just stable housing, but that which I “own,” but that just makes my distaste of the hatred of property taxes all the greater.

    • afk_strats@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      My problem with property tax is that (in the US) it creates a system by which areas with high property tax revenue (rich areas) recieive more money for schools. This is not bad on its face, but in the long term, it creates systems where poor neighborhoods have bad schools, can’t fund improvements, can’t attract good teachers, can’t attract residents, lose on tax revenue… and it cycles.

      Hawaii has an interesting sysyem by which residents only pay tiny property taxes IF their primary residence is their only livable real estate.