“I have voted for every...improvement...now I can’t afford to live here anymore"

[spidey07]

One of the things I love about this forum is there is always some bombastic over the top troll who decides it is their day to go full retard. I guess you decided it was your day today.

I don't troll. I don't lie.

What we have here in this story is going full libtard and suffering the consequences of her illness. I love it and it needs to happen much more often.

 

[Vic]

Close in south Austin? What's her house worth now compared to what she paid for it in 1991? Oh yeah, she's a stupid loser.

 

[fskimospy]

I don't troll. I don't lie.

What we have here in this story is going full libtard and suffering the consequences of her illness. I love it and it needs to happen much more often.

Oh? How is president Perry doing?

 

[zanejohnson]

Yes taxing property for things like schools is dumb
Everyone benefits from education but because you own a house your the one responsible for educating everybody?
I had a discussion with my mom a few yrs ago about her property taxes going down and other lower value properties going up. She felt she could cover off the taxes where poorer people couldn't.
I told her if they can't afford the house then they are out of their element, Why should the person who lives one block over from you who has the same policing, fire protection, garbage pickup, libraries, representation at city council etc that the property taxes pay for, get the same level of service if you pay more?

oh yeah we should just kick them out of there homes, make em homeless,that seems like a brilliant idea when you consider the big picture, like the economy...

fucking idiot.

people without homes, are homeless, and look the part... "job creators" hire people who look like they are responsible, and have a place to live.


you can't have it both ways, either we all chip in and provide a safety net (which will allow people to maintain gainful employment)

or

we use your method and kick them out on the street....... what do you think happens then? they just disappear?? maybe we should build some camps?

right now there's a pretty good system to take advantage of this, because it's happening already, we call it the prison industrial complex....


and check out the awesome effects that's having on our communities.....


maybe you should just stop bitching and being such a greedy little bitch and try being a generous caring human being, try changing your perception from being bitter about paying for this safety net, and try looking at it like because of you, a struggling family may be able to rise to your socioeconomic status, capable of contribution to this safety net...hey maybe, they'll even be grateful for people like you who did this for them.

 

[highland145]

All those improvements probably made her area more valuable and increased home values thus higher property tax. Probably not a bad problem to have really.

Unless you're a starving artist and can't afford the free stuff.

Sad puppy is sad.

 

[highland145]

She's only being taxed on a value of $370K because of the HS cap. Could be paying on $650K value.

$450K for the land...WTH?

 

[PokerGuy]

Hilarious. Idiot votes to add all sorts of stuff, expecting others to pay for it. Then when the bill comes due, the idiot starts whining that "someone needs to step in and address the big picture". How about "idiot, stop voting for things you can't or don't want to pay for". Problem solved, you're welcome.

 

[Zorba]

Hilarious. Idiot votes to add all sorts of stuff, expecting others to pay for it. Then when the bill comes due, the idiot starts whining that "someone needs to step in and address the big picture". How about "idiot, stop voting for things you can't or don't want to pay for". Problem solved, you're welcome.

I have a feeling the tax has gone up much more due to increased property values as opposed to just millage rate increases. The article never says how much her votes increased her millage rates. Her votes probably also helped increase the appeal of her area, making her home worth more. So in the end, she'll come out way ahead when she sells. This is always a problem with gentrification though, the people living in an area want to make it nicer, then can't afford to live in that area once it is nice.

Regardless, this shows the problem with property tax. If you are taxed on income, you definitely have the money, and unless you are taxed at a very high rate, you will still want to make more money.

Property tax, however, can and does go up regardless of your income, provides a disincentive to buying and improving nicer property. In certain areas it can raise drastically year over year, and it forces a lot of people out of though homes, especially retirees.

Property tax does have the benefit of forcing a turn over of property and helps ensure people don't sit on valuable property forever without utilizing it or selling. But regardless, I think the cons out-weigh the pros, especially at higher millage rates.

 

[boomerang]

She's going to sell her home and move to your town and start her lunacy all over. She'll be flabbergasted when history repeats itself while never understanding cause and effect.

 

[highland145]

I have a feeling the tax has gone up much more due to increased property values

2014 improvements $200K, land $450K assessed value $370K
2013 improvements $50K, land $345K, assessed value $223K.

 

[brycejones]

I don't troll. I don't lie.

That's what all the trolls say.

 

[desy]

If they can't afford a home how about an apartment or take in borders
I think we should all pay a base level for services and then consumptive taxes onto that which is where the 'rich people' pay their share. If you are below the poverty line then you can have tax refunds on your income tax.

This article points out she has voted for every pork project a city can offer and now has to pay for it. From the article.

"A key problem, critics say, is that the current system has shifted a disproportionate share of the burden of paying for schools and local services on homeowners, in favor of commercial and corporate interests who can afford to appeal their values and win big reductions year after year."

BTW I'm all for social safety nets, medicare, pension plans, unemployment insurance even welfare, worker compensation however I'm not in favor of disproportionate taxation which falls on homeowners. You work hard to take a property improve it and the neighborhood and are rewarded with elevated taxes for your efforts. Might as well leave it a sh1thole

 

[CLite]

If they pay income tax they are allowed to vote. Otherwise no.

Renters are losers and should not have representation. That's called motivation.

You are a simpleton, how do you think the land-lord affords to pay the property taxes?

I hope your brain doesn't explode from all the thought you will have to put into this one.

 

[soulcougher73]

She's going to sell her home and move to your town and start her lunacy all over. She'll be flabbergasted when history repeats itself while never understanding cause and effect.

Damn her for making places nicer and increasing value.

 

[spacejamz]

Damn her for making places nicer and increasing value.

no...damn her for bitching about the results to her pocket book...

 

[Subyman]

Why did she have her house appraised? Never ever do a voluntary reassessment. She should protest her assessment.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

If they pay income tax they are allowed to vote. Otherwise no.

Renters are losers and should not have representation. That's called motivation.

I'm a Renter mainly because I don't want the responsibility of owning a home (maint, damages, etc), and because I live in a huge sprawling city. I want to live close to work but live in a nice area...renting allows me to check out an area before I decide on staying or not.

So far I've moved every single year since 2004 (2004-2009 was for school so it really doesn't count). I have yet to find a "good side" of Houston that I want to grow some roots in.

Does that make me a loser?

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Why did she have her house appraised? Never ever do a voluntary reassessment. She should protest her assessment.

The county I live in does an appraisal every year and property tax is determined by such. You can protest the appraisal but I've yet to see anyone get it changed. Problem is she lives in an area that's in high demand so home prices (appraisals) are going up. It appears they also have Municipal Utility Districts which also charge a yearly tax.

I live in Fort Bend County Texas, my house was appraised for $155k, the property and utility taxes combined comes to $4,600/year.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

I have yet to find a "good side" of Houston

There's no good side of Houston unless you're rich enough to live in River Oaks.

You will need to live at least 20 miles outside the city to find good houses at a decent price.

 

[Genx87]

This is rather amusing in a way. She voted for improvement in her neighborhood. The result was an increase in property valuation to the point where she cant afford the tax. But all is not lost. I suspect if she sold her property the profit would be sizeable.

 

[smackababy]

The county I live in does an appraisal every year and property tax is determined by such. You can protest the appraisal but I've yet to see anyone get it changed. Problem is she lives in an area that's in high demand so home prices (appraisals) are going up. It appears they also have Municipal Utility Districts which also charge a yearly tax.

I live in Fort Bend County Texas, my house was appraised for $155k, the property and utility taxes combined comes to $4,600/year.

The problem the women in the OP is likely facing has happened to people I know (although, they didn't vote for tax increases for parks, schools, etc). The annual / biannual / or whatever it was appraisals were incredibly high, far above what seemed reasonable.

 

[desy]

From the article comments
Seems she had two lots and built a second house in 2007 effectively doubling her tax.
I bet she only lives in one of those houses

 

[momeNt]

With home "ownership" there is no guarantee that you will always be able to afford to live there even if you keep the same job and get the occasional raise. Sometimes the neighborhood will outpace its residents. That's when you are asked to leave, to make way for more able "owners".

 

[BlitzPuppet]

There's no good side of Houston unless you're rich enough to live in River Oaks.

You will need to live at least 20 miles outside the city to find good houses at a decent price.

That's why I moved to Pearland recently.

 

[BoomerD]

Bah...no one should be "priced out of their home" because of rising property values. A home should ALWAYS be taxed at its purchase price. (plus any improvements) IMO, that's one thing that California got right...sort of. Prop 13 has too many loopholes in it for businesses to avoid being taxed when the property is sold/ownership transferred...

Does that set up some inequity when homes are bought and sold? Sure...If I bought my house at $100K 20 years ago...and you buy an almost identical house next to me for $300K last year...you will pay more in taxes...but since you paid more for your house...that makes sense.

If I buy a new car this year for $20K, (do they even still sell cars that cheap?) and you buy the same (now used) car next year for $10K, should you pay the same sales tax on the car that I did?