Dear George Washington:
You and your compatriots back in 1776 gave us a Republic, a Declaration of Independence, and a beautiful Constitution. Many of our people fought and died so that we may have a form of government where free people can enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You, and the other founding fathers, had the foresight and strength of character to tell the British that “taxation without representation” was not acceptable. They dumped the tea into Boston Harbor to emphasize the message.
As a Republic we haven’t done too badly over the years, but lately things have gotten out of hand.
Taxes, for example, exist everywhere you turn. Over the years we have slowly adopted a level of federal, state, city and county, taxation that has become very burdensome to all working Americans. Unfortunately, we have allowed bloated government to exist at all levels and this is very costly. In Addition, we currently tax our utilities, our personal purchases, food we eat in cafes, and lastly our very homes we live in. This is called “property taxation.” If you think you own your home because it is all paid for, think again. If you don’t pay your property taxes to the county assessor every year, you may find that someone else owns your home for non-payment of taxes.
Under the present system, the county assessor, under the direction of the Department of Revenue, determines the value of your property and you receive notification of your property valuation around March 1st of each year. You have sixty (60) days to appeal this valuation if you are unhappy with the amount.
Many taxpayers do not understand any part of this property valuation/taxation process as the entire process, according to the experts, is one of the most complicated systems of taxation in the United States.
Recent studies in this area reveal many properties are undervalued by the assessor, which means the owner(s) are not paying the property taxes they should be paying under a more fair and equitable system. The amount of lost revenue is substantial in many cases. Perhaps if everyone paid his/her fair share we could lower the tax rates in all taxing authorities.
The state of Arizona has struggled with the subject of property valuation since statehood in 1912. Wouldn’t it be great if our legislature could come up with a much fairer system to property owners. For example, would a flat tax on every parcel in the state be easier to administer and be more fair? We could rid ourselves of much unnecessary government by developing a simpler property valuation system. At the same time, we could look at the prospect of doing away with the current process of selling delinquent tax properties which is a “take away” from the rightful owner of the property.
A man’s home is his castle —- let him keep it!
Bob Skiba
Oracle, AZ