Exempt all property taxes for at least 2 years for any victims of natural disasters.
After a natural disaster property owners should be exempt from paying property taxes for at least 2 years.
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A better suggestion might be to replace property taxes with a flat tax on new purchases. Then we dont need to deal with numerous permutations and exceptions for paying property taxes (like valuation changes based on disasters, etc). Just an idea to make sharing local expenses more fair to the most people within a demographic area.
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A good idea, Johnny, but I feel it doesn’t go far enough. I think property tax should hold off until the property is usable in near-original conditions again. The owner(s)’ feet could be held to the fire with demands for measurable progress, but I don’t think the loss of this benefit should be because of strained contractor schedules in a disaster area. What say you?
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Florida would not pay a lot of taxes, I agree something needs fixed
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I don’t think this is a good idea. Some people factor in the risk of an area when choosing where to live. We don’t live in areas where our home has a high likelihood of being wiped out at any time because that would be irresponsible. I don’t have a problem with other people choosing to live there and I understand that it’s devastating to have your home affected and sympathize with them, but it isn’t the responsibility of the rest of America to take on the financial burden associated with the decision to live there. This exemption would incentivize even more people to live and build in unsafe areas.
I think it would be far better to forego taxation on disaster victims up front, than to set them up as criminals because they can’t afford to pay them, nor have the use of the property they would be paying taxes on. Good, law-abiding people just want to get their lives back together. This way, the government can at least LOOK like they care about them.
Living in Western NC, I feel the pain. That being said, currently the counties of WNC are footing a big part of the bill for recovery of it’s citizens. Since legally they cannot exempt someone from property taxes, one county I know of has decided to help pay the property taxes for those that have lost their homes, by raising funds in the community. Property taxes are important to our communities, under the current taxation system we have.
LadyJarman, I understand your point, yet there may be a slight distinction that could be addressed. Where you say that “property taxes are important for your community”, if I am reading you correctly, you are saying “the revenue” generated from property taxes is important – and not so much the process itself of extracting the revenue and redistributing it. That said, if you see it from “a revenue stream” perspective, then that opens up the possibility of fixing the apparent constitutional violations of county governments, while looking for “revenue stream replacements”.
I will include a link below, showing a previous post that outlines the constitutional problem with “property taxes”, regardless of the intentions and use of the revenue stream generated by it.
Link below:
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Constitutionally and with the current law, it is not legal for the county to exempt property taxes for just those experiencing a loss due to a disaster. Which in WNC case is the majority of homeowners and business owners. Change the Law for All. But no exemption, or none of the counties would have any funds. Thanks
Not sure of what your reply to me means, since you mention county governments not exempting property owners of taxes. You probably meant it for the policy proposer (in regards to discrimination).
Nevertheless, you read my reply to your initial reply: County governments are violating the Constitution by extorting monies and discriminating against property owners. Just because county govts exempt some and not others has nothing to do with the ongoing criminal behavior against property owners. And if counties “wont have any funds” if they cant violate the fourth amendment, then perhaps it is time to fire some county officials and put others in there who can “re-imagine” and correct the revenue stream problem while at the same time, maintain Constitutional protections provided to the American People.
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FYI, property taxes are a State issue, not a Federal issue. Property taxes are controlled by your state. You need to contact your State Representative, State Senator and your Governor.
Hey erm this is for you 
Billions are made off of property taxes. No state representitive, senator, or governor will work with you regarding property taxes.
Any efforts to change the current property tax extortion racket needs to be handled through the courts, appealing past the state supreme courts, if any traction is expected.
Example of resolving state property tax issues OUTSIDE of the state administrative/executive body…
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No property taxes period, if we bought and paid off the property it should be ours
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Now would two years be long enough for them to get totally back on their feet, after total destruction of there property, will take a lot to rebuild to the stander of living before the disaster.
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Property tax is local, not Federal.
A catastrophe can happen anywhere (although some areas are definitely prone to them)
There are Federal Relief funds to help, if that is what you mean.
They should be banned in general for everyone. Why pay taxes on something you own?
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This is really such a great idea. I want an alternative to extortion property taxes. But even under the current arrangement. Why aren’t properties in a natural disaster not immediately ASSESSED for their post disaster value? How in the fuck is anyone on the hook for an imaginary value prior to the disaster?
Secondly, under the present arrangement, why can’t homeowners get interest free loans from the government for homeowners to rebuild? Again, I don’t want property taxes at all, these funds can be acquired in better and less wasteful, more accountable ways. But if the existing property is the asset value being taxed, why isn’t the government more than willing facilitator in incentivising timely and suspended taxation until restoration of value, and/or immediate property value reassement?
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This could be integrated with Reclaiming Housing as a Human Right - A Constitutional Imperative
This process of extracting wealth is a violation on many fronts, including DISCRIMINATION and EXTORTION, and a violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. It has nothing to do with ownership. Think of it this way…back in the early 1900s when the Irish and Italian mafias used to lay claim to several square blocks of New York, and go into the businesses with baseball bats and tell the shop owners that they need to pay their annual extortion monies to them (protection money) or something might happen to their shop. The same thing is going on here. It is merely an evolved version of it. You pay your annual extortion money or you loose your home.
IT IS A CRIMINAL RACKET (continued from 1920 into 2024).
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