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Some Ways To Help Keep Property Taxes Lower
Posted by Lorraine Ross on May 13, 2008There are a few ways for taxpayers to help keep property taxes lower. The first way is to attend public meeting where decisions are being made about spending limits and spending in general. If you do not participate in meeting that is open to the public for suggestions and opinions, you cannot blame anyone for higher property taxes. If the community spending committee we will call them wants to raise taxes so they can afford to give aldermen and government officials a raise in salary, then no one will be at the meeting to voice their opinion and make people think.
If a committee is interested in buying land from a property owner and it is a substantial amount of money that will require an increase in property taxes, you might use a petition to request a vote when the next election is scheduled. This is done in many states and communities. This allows the voters who are tax-paying citizens to vote for or against the proposal. All spending should be done this way. That way everyone in the community has a say or a vote if you may on whether or not this type of spending is necessary.
Another way to avoid higher property taxes is to organize fundraisers for things that are needed for schools. If the school district is asking for more money, which could raise property taxes, you might suggest ways for the entire school system to raise the money needed and enjoy in a sense of accomplishment. Not only is this a great way for raising money for the cause, but also gives students and teachers a new way to work together and learn values. This has been tried and accomplished in many communities with great success. Those communities have lower property taxes as well.
There could be a committee for school fundraisers, fire and police fundraisers, a committee for nursing home fundraisers and even a fundraising committee for the library and historical museums. The community does come together when a fundraiser not only helps the cause but also keeps there property taxes down. People are spending money, are receiving something in return, instead of handing over their money and receiving nothing in return for the most part. This type of community involvement does have its benefits, people enjoy the fundraising event and the community makes some money that is needed for whatever reason.
These are just some of the ways that property owners can help to keep property taxes lower. There are many more ways that people can contribute, they just have to think about how much they really want to help the community keep the taxes lower and organize ways to raise money or at least ask for votes on spending and district increases before the committee approves them. When people want to have lower property taxes anything is possible and when the community leaders are behind you, everyone wins. You just need to look for positive ways to lower the property taxes and speak up at public events that are held in the community.
It’s next to impossible for people in big cities to do anything about it. Cities with millions of people living there and millions more commuting/visiting it each day are just going to need more money for something and once sales tax gets to a certain point, there’s nowhere else they can go for more money than property taxes.
In parts of Utah they recently reasessed the property taxes and they sky rocketed. Most people appealed the assessment and were granted the value they appealed. Now with the declining market, homes don’t even appraise to the amount of their assessed value.
Our property taxes are getting raised in huge amounts every year. We have tried to fight it but we don’t get anywhere with it. These are some good ideas that haven’t crossed my mind. The only thing is that my time is already stretched so thin that participating in and organizing fund raisers is a little too much for me.
Hey Lorraine thanks for the post on Keep Property Taxes Lower.
If our elected officials weren’t always wasting money on stupid stuff and giving themselves raises we wouldn’t have to deal with the constant raising of property taxes. Pretty soon its going to get to a point where nobody can afford their own home. Well at least the newer generations.
Another way to keep property taxes low is to elect competent local government. There are so many federal and state subsidy programs for community projects such as new schools, infrastructure development, and human services. We all pay enough federal and state tax, so it’s in each communities best interest to take back what is rightfully theirs.
In my city, Regina, saskatchewan, housing prices went from 50k to 190k in one year and a half, I missed out bigtime.
Here in the UK house prices are now falling. 7% so far this year, copying the U.S. and sub-prime fall-out. Most of Europe seems to be falling economically.
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