With all the brouhaha about real estate tax assessments, perhaps it is time to reconsider the "Land Tax" concept or perhaps a move to more wage-income-wealth taxation instead of the inherently inconsistent and counterproductive property tax. Or some other type of taxation ...any suggestions? I know when we bought our house 30+ years ago, it was common knowledge that if and when you fixed up your house you would (a) hire contractors who agreed not to get building permits, (b) take out construction debris in very small batches each week to be picked up in the regular trash, and (c) do any work on the front (most visible) part of the house. All of this designed not to draw the attention of building inspectors to any work getting done. (Of course, I only heard about such practices and would NEVER advocate doing this ...) Or, alternatively, don't do any work at all on your house and let it rot.
In any event, to me the worst thing about the property tax is the way is discourages property improvement. Roger Harman
