High property taxes driving a new revolt By Patrik Jonsson, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

High property taxes driving a new revolt By Patrik Jonsson, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
Wed Mar 8, 3:00 AM ET



ATLANTA - In Orford, N.H., a tin-roofed hunting cabin worth $10,000 was recently assessed at $200,000, just for its mountain view. Taxes on the cabin and its outhouse skyrocketed.

Around Lake Tahoe, along the California-Nevada border, property taxes have shot up 135 percent in the past four years.

Residents of Beaufort, S.C., pay $17 million more in property taxes today than in 2000.

Welcome to the flip side of the real estate boom. Years of rising home values have boosted property taxes steadily. Now, homeowners across the United States are fighting back.

"Real estate growth and real estate boom seem to be happening all over the country and [property-tax revolt] is an inevitable consequence," says Roger Sherman, a property tax expert in Boise, Idaho.

This year, legislative proposals, citizen initiatives, and lawsuits are on the agenda in at least 20 states. These new efforts reflect both residents' distrust of how their property tax dollars are being spent and concerns that rising assessments are driving working-class people out of popular towns and cities.

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And what do you get for paying these outrageous taxes? Poor highways, littered highways, poor police protection and last but never least richer politician's and rip-off-artists.