My Political Philosophy exposed!

Ad Valorem Taxes are Immoral

 If there is a Q&A this Saturday, an old Guy in the audience might ask: 

Candidates, I believe Ad Valorem Property Taxes are IMMORAL. PROPERTY TAXES BASED ON VALUE AND NOT SIMPLY FEE FOR SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE CITY OR COUNTY ARE UNEVENLY DISTRIBUTED. TAXES SHOULD BE BASED ON ‘FEES FOR SERVICES’ AND SHOULD BE PAID EQUALLY BY EVERY RESIDENT, THAT'S THE ONLY FAIR AND MORAL WAY TO TAX PROPERTY!

DO YOU AGREE? 

Ad Valorem Property Taxes are Immoral!.

My argument: 

Bob and Alice are neighbors.They bought similar houses about the same time. Alice is meticulous and keeps her house pressure washed and in good repair. She even added solar panels and landscaped her yard. Bob likes his Willie Drink and isn't as responsible as Alice. Alice even saw a fawn the other morning hiding in the knee high grass in Bob's yard, until a section of gutter fell off and scared the little fawn back to her Mom.

When the TAX PERSON COMETH (play up the person versus man) (laugh line) to assess Bob and Alice’s property in that dreaded REASSESSMENT YEAR!.

The TAX PERSON congratulates Alice for her good stewardship of her property with the HIGHEST PROPERTY VALUATION in her neighborhood. But, TAX PERSON, (that's 3 times so that joke might be played out!) SCORNS at Bob's DELAPITED property and punishes him with the LOWEST PROPERTY VALUATION in the entire COUNTY. In September, Bob goes through his stack of unopened mail piled up at his feet to his glee and finds HIS TAX BILL WENT DOWN!.

And he takes another sip of Willie’s finest with a great big smile! 

In times past, in Charleston for example, TAXES were assessed by FRONT FEET. Say your property was 50 feet wide, your property required 50 feet of sidewalks and streets plus your contribution to the City Treasury. So that was fair way to TAX PROPERTY, based on FEE FOR SERVICE, 

Did you ever wonder why the lots in Charleston are long and narrow? No one wanted to pay the PROPERTY TAXES. And hence the Singleton Charleston House was born!.

And later when utilities came into existence, gas lines for instance, you paid a fee to tap in and paid for USAGE. The same for electricity, water, sewer etc. 

Now I hear those that will ask, well if you improve your raw land, doesn't the value go up, and doesn't the County have a right to reevaluate your property for TAX purposes? I ASK WHY? Has the property required more road frontage or more services than it had before I improved it? If the County extended roads or water lines or sewer then yes you can make that argument. But with all services the same WHY SHOULD I PAY HIGHER TAXES BASED on VALUATION? 

The VALUE OF MY PROPERTY now is only what a WILLING and ABLE BUYER, and a WILLING and ABLE SELLER AGREES is the VALUE. 

So if I haven't convinced you that Ad Valorem Properly Taxes are UNFAIR even IMMORAL, at least let me close with this thought: if you must support Ad Valorem Property Taxes 

the TAX MAN should only ASSESS TAXES WHEN THE PROPERTY EXCHANGES HANDS! 

BETTER YET IS PROPERTY TAX BASED ON FEE FOR SERVICE! 

THAT IS THE ONLY MORAL WAY TO A

SSESS PROPERTY TAXES!