Property Taxes (Phoenix, Maricopa: sales, real estate, house)

[nolagirl]

What are then property taxes like for homes in the city of Phoenix? Is the number shown on realtor websites correct, or are there additional taxes?

[jco]

Visit the state treasurer's website, and you can look it up by neighborhood.

[Ponderosa]

Taxes are based on assessed (not sales) value and vary a lot depending on how many school bond elections voters have approved in your district. BUT, rule of thumb is about 1/2 - 3/4 of 1 percent of sales price per year. The realtor figures may be OK but add about 20-30%. Just about everybody's tax bill went up that much this year because of the big bounce in assessed values from the housing bubble. We won't get reassessed now for two years and then taxes may go back down some if property values decline.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by jco

Visit the state treasurer's website, and you can look it up by neighborhood.

If you have an address, you get the exact tax bill from www.maricopa.gov The new, higher tax bills are already available online even if people haven't received them in the mail.

[Valley Native]

Everybody who is a property owner should really take a good hard look at their property taxes, and calculate the breakdown of where YOUR money is going. Approximately 30% of property taxes in Maricopa County are allocated to fire service, flood control, libraries, etc. However, nearly 70% of property taxes are going toward the burdening FAILURE known as public education!

Tax rates have generally increased this year ... which means the school districts are receiving more money. Public schools are also benefitting from the largest sales tax increase in state history (passed in the 2000 election). Yet, all we hear is sniveling that the schools aren't getting enough funds. If that's the case, where is all the tax money going that we're throwing at this monster??? I think it's obvious that the system needs a serious overhaul ... and the best way to overhaul it is to privatize it. That way, childless people like me won't be continuously burdened, and the financial responsibility will fall on the shoulders of the parents (or sperm donors) where it SHOULD be!

[sendkcone]

Agreed (father of 3 in public school system).

[HarveytheRabbit]

How would you go about getting property tax reassessed now? Wait two years? Or can you file an appeal?

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by sendkcone

Agreed (father of 3 in public school system).

You agree that homeowners without children should not pay any taxes for education?????

I've never had kids. My husband has never had kids. We pay our real estate taxes - and recognize that in maricopa county, they are pretty damn cheap as compared to other counties that include major cities.

While I don't agree with HOW they spend MY tax dollars, I can't imagine NOT contributing to educating the kids in my community.

[Zippyman]

Your tax bills went up, or the tax rate went up? <--- big difference!

My total tax bill went down 16% - even with an "override" tacked on, and they'd have to double the tax rate over the next two years to overcome the loss of taxable value we've already experienced...

I checked the tax history for a family member's house in town, and his taxes were higher in 1994 than they are right now.

Anyone here care to trade some "1994" dollars for some "2011" dollars?

To answer the OP's question, be sure and go to the treasurer's website to verify the previous year's tax collections - it only takes a few minutes and you'll get the info from the source.

Maricopa County Treasurer's Office

[khuntrevor]

I'm ready to kick in my fair share for education. What is troubling is the amount of our education money that never makes it into the classrooms. Salary caps for school administrators are long overdue. Giving illegals free run of our education system compounds the problem. School refusing to take actions that wouldn't cost one Dime, further annoys me. Things like students showing up late, wearing earplugs in class, dressing like gangbangers---all could easily be eliminated in order to provide an environment more conducive to learning.