The Atlanta Urinal and Constipation has been long overdue for some bleeding heart liberal crap. They took care of that today. The lead editorial is titled, Soften blow of tax hikes for low-income families. Translated that means get out your wallets.
For affluent homeowners, a sudden jump in property taxes is a budgetary blip.
Hold it right there Baba Looey! Anytime my taxes go up it is not a freaking 'budgetary blip'! It is a recurring expense. If you think it's a freaking blip, howsa 'bout you payin' it for me?
But for seniors on fixed incomes or younger, working-class
Working class is liberal speak for poor. I work, but, to them, I'm not working class.
households who are barely scraping by,
And often times that is because they made bad choices, like dropping out of school or having children they couldn't afford.
an unexpected spike in property taxes can be an overwhelming burden.
Huh? For them it's a spike and for me it's a blip? We're only on the first paragraph and already my blood pressure's goin' up. That blip is gonna produce a spike in my prescription drug bill.
All too often, that's what happens in gentrifying communities where well-heeled newcomers begin buying or renovating older homes, thereby driving up tax assessments for their less affluent neighbors. Some up-and-coming intown Atlanta neighborhoods where tax collections were flat a few years ago have recently seen double-digit increases in property assessments. In parts of DeKalb, Cobb and Gwinnett counties, high demand for a limited supply of affordable "starter" homes has sharply driven up prices -- and taxes.
C'mon. I'm crying real tears over here. Someone has done absolutely nothing and their house, which is probably a piece of shit, is now doubled in value. In capitalist societies this is know as capital appreciation. If this happens to an affluent person it is called a windfall. Only a socialist or a liberal could make this out to be a bad thing.
"There are teachers, mailmen, cops, nurses and secretaries
Good solid citizens.
who work in nice areas of Atlanta," says Nathaniel Smith of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, a nonprofit agency that works to increase the region's affordable housing stock. "But we have property taxes that make it impossible for them to live in those same neighborhoods."
Hey bucko! Here's a solution: sell the house, pocket the windfall profit, find a house in a cheaper neighborhood, and invest the difference. Then, they wouldn't have to worry about that spike thing. Or better yet, cut the size of government and cut everyone's taxes. Two good solutions.
Around the country in places where gentrification also has taken root, local governments have developed strategies to keep high tax bills from prompting a forced exodus of lower-income residents. One of the more promising initiatives is "circuit breakers," so-called because they kick in automatically to eliminate the shock of rapidly rising property assessments.
But you can bet your ass that I don't get a freaking 'circuit breaker'. They just blip me some more.
Thirty-five states already have circuit breakers that offer assistance to low-income seniors as well as working-class households who are surviving just above the poverty line.
If they're just above the poverty line, how did they buy the house in the first place? Maybe they should be living in a trailer. Ya don't have to pay much property tax when ya live in a trailer. Tornados can be a problem, though.
Such programs vary, but are particularly effective when linked to household income. For example, a circuit breaker set at 2 percent of annual income means a household earning $30,000 would pay no more than $600 in property taxes ($30,000 x .02 = $600) regardless of the property's assessment.
Now, I would love to get a deal like that. Unfortunately, I and the rest of us folks who, as Dickie Gephardt says, have won life's lottery, just get blipped to make up the shortfall.
In Washington, where gentrification has been remaking the capital city, local lawmakers have imposed a hard cap on property tax increases. Homeowners in the District pay only 25 percent of the difference between their old and new property tax assessments, which acts as a circuit breaker of sorts.
So the people who move in, and are rebuilding the city get blipped big time.
But not all property tax relief programs are well-crafted.
I'm shocked!
In 1983, Muscogee County adopted a "freeze" on property tax valuations as a hedge against inflation that applied to all homeowners until they either sold their residence or died. Last month, state Superior Court Judge George M. Peagler found the county's program violated the equal protection clause of the state constitution because it bestowed a tax benefit on older, wealthier homeowners often at the expense of newcomers, many of whom had lower incomes.
In the above example, the older residents are wealthy while the new owners aren't. That's unconstitutional. But
"Those who are hurt by the scheme are those persons who do not currently own homes, but who hope to," Peagler said in his ruling last month. "Included in this group are young people, people in transition, the working poor, and perhaps, racial minorities."
This is OK 'cause in gentrified neighborhoods, the only people who get hurt are the affluent and they only get blipped. I guess that is constitutional.
For property tax exemptions to make a difference in gentrifying areas, they should include strict "means tests" that are tied to household income. And, as Peagler's ruling points out, such programs must also be carefully crafted to avoid harming the same at-risk groups they are ostensibly intended to help.
And blipping the people they are meant to screw.
Or screwing the people they are meant to blip.
Not really much difference either way.
Posted by denny at July 12, 2002 08:34 PM