Based on my previous posts, readers may correctly assume I am obsessed with this issue. It is after all stupid and shortsighted‼️
Property taxes are a “scam, “money grab” “the government.”
How can anyone abide such nonsense?
People who lack cognitive ability and critical thinking, that’s who.
The claims of $10,000 to $15,000 in property taxes are greatly exaggerated. For example, on a house valued at $370,000 the taxes in NJ, the highest property tax state in the country, are 1.88% or $6,956 Every other state is much less. Needless to say there are always exceptions.
A problem over stated via propaganda.
Industry research (e.g., from the National Tax Lien Association) has long indicated that less than ~0.05% of delinquent taxpayers lose their homes this way, or under 1% of delinquent bills end in actual tax foreclosure—and most of those involve vacant land, abandoned properties, or investment properties rather than primary residences.
Towns and school boards need to have a steady, reliable income source in order to establish budgets. Citizens either vote for school boards who set budgets or directly vote on propped budgets (primarily in the Northeast). Any significant spending requiring new debt is typically put up for a public vote.
Today I voted for a $41,000,000 bond issue for school repairs, maintenance and improvement. Who will lend a school district that kind of money without a steady nearly guaranteed revenue stream?
Sales taxes, income taxes, property taxes only collected upon sale of a house, consumption taxes can’t provide that ongoing revenue stability which is why property taxes have been used for education funding since the 1840s
And then there is the small matter of who will pay to make up lost revenue when certain groups like seniors are exempt from taxes.
I am now in Maine.
Maine has the highest % of residents 65 and older. And over 44% of our population is over 50.
I would love to see a cap on property taxes for seniors here, but with those numbers I don’t know how many towns in this rural state would be able to function with a significant reduction of property tax income.
In some areas we definitely need to regionalize services and schools. But there is strong push back, especially regarding the schools.
I wish more people would get more involved in our local government and school board meetings. We would all be better able to make educated decisions if we were.
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I suggest some information on how the areas that exempt seniors are coping with the foregone tax money would be nice . I see tax schemes all the time whereby developers get tax abatements if they include some apartments or homes for certain income levels in their projects. Seems like taxes can be adjusted depending on what the city or county wants. What say you ,Quinn?
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I’ll give you one example. In NJ there a program StayNJ under which a citizen 65+ with income up to $500,000 gets a 50% refund of property tax from the state up to $6,500. However in mid 2026 the state found it could not pay it so our last two quarterly payments were cut in half. At the same time next year the earnings limit goes to $200,000 and payment limits are cut in half.
These programs just shift costs to all taxpayers via the state. Of course, the $500,000 limit was ridiculous to start with.
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Stop acting so ridiculous. Easy for you to say. You had a high paying executive job and had a higher income stream more than most people. Oh, and I do not want to hear how you worked since a kid or lived in a small apartment and everyone can do it too. Stop preaching and acting so righteous. I bet a good portion of that $41,000,000 will be spent in an unrighteous way….look at how each dollar gets spent and then let’s talk. Let me know how many $10,000 toilet bowls get installed.
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