Someone paid taxes to put me through school. And back then we had among the best schools in the world. Not sure that's still true, but I certainly don't begrudge paying my share, even though I personally have no kids in the local schools any more.
I'm appalled that some areas specifically carve out a school tax exemption for some residents. Next they'll start charging more for each additional child a parent has in the school. The whole concept of a free education seems under threat.
Property tax freezes also seem unfair to me, although I would certainly benefit. Why should someone pay less just because they've lived there longer? If anything it's new families starting out who need the break.
Finally, I think many people misunderstand the concept of property tax. The municipal budget is divided among all the property owners proportionally, based on property value. If all the properties go up, in theory the mil rate should go down, and everyone would still pay the same percentage of the municipal budget as before. Of course, if the budget goes up, so do everyone's taxes. But it wouldn't be because property values went up.
I'm appalled that some areas specifically carve out a school tax exemption for some residents. Next they'll start charging more for each additional child a parent has in the school. The whole concept of a free education seems under threat.
Property tax freezes also seem unfair to me, although I would certainly benefit. Why should someone pay less just because they've lived there longer? If anything it's new families starting out who need the break.
Finally, I think many people misunderstand the concept of property tax. The municipal budget is divided among all the property owners proportionally, based on property value. If all the properties go up, in theory the mil rate should go down, and everyone would still pay the same percentage of the municipal budget as before. Of course, if the budget goes up, so do everyone's taxes. But it wouldn't be because property values went up.