Why does indiana need property tax

[PistolBob]

Property Tax is theft. Nothing but flat out theft.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Property Tax is theft. Nothing but flat out theft.

I will start with this excellent statement and continue forward:

1. Property tax, unlike any other tax other than a poll tax (European tax per head, nothing to do with voting) hinges on a constant rather than an action. All other taxes stem from the production or transfer of goods, services, or money. Property tax is the government's opportunity to tax you again and again on yesterday's increase as you make the money to buy the property once but get taxed on it every year.

2. Property tax is inherently destructive to vulnerable citizens. You have a run of bad luck, lose your job, but have your home paid for, so you are safe? Hell no! You stand to lose most of what you spent your entire life working for on account of a single misfortune.

3. The principle argument, as mentioned previously, is that property tax is generally less subject to fluctuation than taxes based on the transfer of wealth through production or sale. The inherent flaw in this argument is that it boils down to 'we want this much money and we don't give a f**k whether you have it or not.' If the rest of us have to live with less on account of economic downturn, so should the damned government.

4. One wonders if some people cling to it for the political benefit of impoverishing hte maximum number of people in order to create a banana republic style society in which there are a handful of fantastically rich and powerful with the remainder destitute, disenfranchised, and highly controllable.

 

[churchmouse]

#4..................

 

[RockofStrength]

I will start with this excellent statement and continue forward:

1. Property tax, unlike any other tax other than a poll tax (European tax per head, nothing to do with voting) hinges on a constant rather than an action. All other taxes stem from the production or transfer of goods, services, or money. Property tax is the government's opportunity to tax you again and again on yesterday's increase as you make the money to buy the property once but get taxed on it every year.

2. Property tax is inherently destructive to vulnerable citizens. You have a run of bad luck, lose your job, but have your home paid for, so you are safe? Hell no! You stand to lose most of what you spent your entire life working for on account of a single misfortune.

3. The principle argument, as mentioned previously, is that property tax is generally less subject to fluctuation than taxes based on the transfer of wealth through production or sale. The inherent flaw in this argument is that it boils down to 'we want this much money and we don't give a f**k whether you have it or not.' If the rest of us have to live with less on account of economic downturn, so should the damned government.

4. One wonders if some people cling to it for the political benefit of impoverishing hte maximum number of people in order to create a banana republic style society in which there are a handful of fantastically rich and powerful with the remainder destitute, disenfranchised, and highly controllable.

I would submit a #5: Property Taxes also strongly discourage further land improvements of any kind, as the tax is permanently increased owing to the increased value of the property. How that benefits anyone I'll never know.

 

[churchmouse]

I would submit a #5: Property Taxes also strongly discourage further land improvements of any kind, as the tax is permanently increased owing to the increased value of the property. How that benefits anyone I'll never know.

Tax and spend and tax and spend and tax and spend and tax and spend and tax and spend and tax and spend to infinity and beyond.

 

[HeadlessRoland]

Not nearly as constant as you would think.

No, all fifty States have property tax, it's rather constant. Now, the rates are not consistent among the States, but given that they all have property tax of various degrees, it's one of the most uniform of all State-level taxes.

 

[Harleyrider_50]

Property Tax is theft. Nothing but flat out theft.

......YEAH that............wish'da hell I could steal $$ 'at gawda*n easy......an' git away with it......
Frik'n.......x'cise tax's on vehicles.....etc......it'a damn legal ripoff ta boot.....

Thieve'n bastids......

 

[mydoghasfleas]

Shouldn't the owner of the property be the one collecting the tax, and if so how much does he charge himself?
Property tax is a non sequitur
You own no property.

 

[87bluejay]

Shouldn't the owner of the property be the one collecting the tax, and if so how much does he charge himself?
Property tax is a non sequitur
You own no property.

Exactly

 

[Lex Concord]

Say you buy a loaf of bread. A farmer paid property tax, fuel tax, probably some employment tax, paid to comply with EPA guidelines, etc...all of the suppliers he/she utilized paid taxes on everything they did, then it gets to the bakery, then distribution, then the store shelf. How much tax went into the price of the loaf...not a clue and I doubt anyone else could come up with the number either. None of us has a clue how much we pay in taxes.

You left out the taxes we paid that went into the farmer's subsidies...gov-paid benefits for the bakery and or suppliers got for hiring former felons......offsetting some of their taxes...making the calculation that much more impossible.

Obviously, your point is well taken; just pointing out the web is even more tangled (and even moreso than my few comments could illustrate)

Edit: I've been saying for years. If you have to pay someone else to keep it, you don't own it. Glad to see the idea catching on...or that I was never as alone as I thought...either way

So far, I haven't seen any of the attempted answers explaining need, only why this method is more preferred than others due to its alleged relative stability.

 

[ATOMonkey]

If you want more of something subsidize it, if you want less of something, tax it....right?

Funny how we set our goals in direct opposition to the incentives. Then wonder why everything is ****ed up.

 

[Fred78]

Where else are the politicions gonna get money to put in their off shore accounts come on guys share the wealth, like they say in the god-father just let me wet my beak.

 

[Ericpwp]

I would rather a property tax then a county income tax. We are just getting hit with it up here in lake. (I know, boo hoo, welcome to our world). I could live in a dump and not pay a lot of tax, now I'm paying more, for the same dump.

 

[Fred78]

Hey! Ericpwp It's probably only one percent of something. The way these politicions ad they can get 120 percent out of a fellow and tell you they are giving you a deal.

 

[Roscoe38]

I bought my home in Delaware County, 11/23/2000. Price 131k appraisal 141k, appraisal gradually increased to 157K,
Then came along the great Obama Depression, Appraisals gradually fell to 130k, with the 1% tax cap the local governments could not function. My last appraisal was 138k, schools are running better now. I can hardly wait for this year's numbers. Evidently the 1% cap is the deciding factor of how much a property is worth. After next year's levy the "Gubment" should have the funds to spend many more millions they don't have.

Is there a simple solution to the tax burden.....Since Schools and Churches pay no taxes and never will, I guess us "PO" folk will have to keep on paying our fair share. "Nuf Sed"

 

[PistolBob]

Like I said previously....taxing a primary residence is nothing but the government picking your pocket. It's theft. Plain and simple.

 

[Lex Concord]

Like I said previously....taxing a primary residence is nothing but the government picking your pocket. It's theft. Plain and simple.

No. It's far worse. They own it. You don't. You never will while property taxes exist; you just rent. It's a "free country", right?

 

[dieselrealtor]

No. It's far worse. They own it. You don't. You never will while property taxes exist; you just rent. It's a "free country", right?

^^^This. Property taxes are proof that you never really own your property, you are only leasing from the government.