1/11/2006 3:38:00 PM Letter: Property taxes forcing us out
Editor, Leader:
I was born in 1927. I served my country twice, in World War II and in Korea. A became a teacher and taught locally for over 30 years. I remain an active volunteer. I have usually held more than one job. I have always paid my taxes.
Paying taxes is part of citizenship. But property taxes in this county are becoming an extreme burden upon too many of us. It’s time for a change, but the Legislature in Olympia has been inept on this for decades. Legislators have only two items on their agenda: enough money to get reelected and enough pork as possible. They put a Band-Aid on problems and move on. We need to take a longer look at the property tax problem.
Instead the state puts taxes on taxes. It doesn’t hold the line or cap expenditures. It thinks tax money and grant money are free. Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower were right. They both said, “Do not be controlled by corporations or big money.”
I’m here to speak not only for myself but the silent majority: the elderly, the people on fixed income, the people on low income, the poor and disadvantaged. There is no affordable housing here anymore.
Our property taxes are based on the wealth of new neighbors. Assessments are not an exact science and it is far-out math. My valuation has jumped from $173,140 to $304,685 in four years. That increased my tax from $1,900 to $3,400 annually. That far exceeds inflation or any reasonable increase. I would say it is about $100,000 too high. Our home cost $19,000 in 1971.
Builders, the trades, real estate agents, wheelers and dealers playing monopoly are having a great time. But the gains are on the backs of the weak, the poor, the disenfranchised. Look beyond all the “For Sale” signs. There is a story behind every one, and many do not have happy endings.
The silent majority is made up of the elderly on fixed incomes, the poor and the weak. For most of us it is not a house, it is a home. Some of us don’t want to move but we have to move. This is not the democracy I thought we stood for.
Where are the elected officials? Where are the leaders? Do they hear us in Olympia? Do they hear us in the assessor’s office? Does big money always win? Where is the affordable housing? Why should we be taxed by the wealth of our new neighbors?
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