What Causes Property Tax Increases

In the midst of political finger-pointing and duck-and-cover about dramatic property tax increases in Indiana, the question that hasn't been addressed is: what causes property tax increases? Come along and let's FOLLOW THE MONEY.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Indiana
• property
• tax
• taxes
• increase
• school
• spending
• local
• government
• inefficiency
• corruption

[hauphd]

Property taxes are something to set around the Christmas Tree and discuss.

After all the bills are being sent out and due 9 days before Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL HOMEOWNERS

[glennohatmaker]

Right you are hauphd - Merry Christmas indeed.

I was working as a staffer in the legislature when the first crisis hit over the Fourth of July holiday 2007 - HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY. And now inexplicable delays send property tax bills out months late - MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Washington Township government is a stellar example of why Indiana needs to follow the Kernan/Shepard recommendation to abolish township government.

[meuserj]

The video would be a whole lot more convincing if you hadn't included the clip of Orentlicher and introduce him as a citizen protester. He's a politician and very culpable in putting us in the mess we are in now.

[glennohatmaker]

I certainly didn't intend for it to come across like that - I'm well aware that incumbents are the problem. That's why my v.o. says "some politicians [i.e. David O] want to rasie taxes" - and protesters booed him off the stage.

[ourearthhome]

The question about how tax money is spent is legitimate but it obscures the fundamental point. When governments provide public services such as schools and libraries mentioned here the economic effect is to raise the property value, actually only the land value, of all property in the area served. To not assess against the increased value that public services give to land to pay for the services is to give property owners a free gift at the expense of all non-owners of land, i.e. renters.

[glennohatmaker]

Agreed. Nice videopage, by the way. Regardless, the problem here in Indiana is government mismanagement and corruption, as well as a byzantine tax assessment and distribution system. These, and other factors, has led to taxpayer resentment. Folks support funding public education, fire/police protection, etc.; what we object to is the kind of inefficiency and mismanagement which is so common in Indiana.

[frantic1971]

and the usual refrain "But if we lose our school, whaaaat will happen to our town !!!!"

Attack the high property tax problem at it's source: keeping small, inefficient schools, open at all costs. Regardless of population trends and small rural town decline.

[ben5017]

When the founder's of America argued about the sources of income for the new government, the agreed upon commerice and tariffs!

Their argument about the taxation of private property (residential) tax was why did we fight the revolutionary war if they are going to be subjects to their govt leasing property from the govt.

Fact is property tax on Residential property is illegal via our founders because we were meant to be free to actually own something, not lease it from elitism! time for revolt