How to pay less in property tax? (Baltimore City)

[BMoreJuice]

Originally Posted by Tallybalt

I have owned property in Baltimore City since the early 1970s. Baltimore property tax rates have been considered very high by the standards of the region since the 1970s. People were steadingly moving out of the city throughout the 1970s and 1980s due to the higher taxes and the decline in schools and services. This is nothing new.

A property tax bill of $500 is astonishing, and either your grandfather was "grandfathered" via a Homestead Property Tax Credit that kept his tax increases to a minimum, or the house in question assessed so low that, for all practical purposes, it's a moot point when talking about most people's property taxes (in other words, the house is practically derelict). The actual answer is probably a combination of the tax credit and the assessment value of the house. I had clients in Hampden who were paying around $1500-2000 in property taxes in the mid 1990s, on houses they bought for $80,000.

Welcome back Tally

One thing about property tax... Compared to paying 1 million $ for the same house in DC or Alexandria... Ill take the property tax.

[pappjohn]

The simple reality is that regardless of the exceptions you can dig up (and which always have extenuating circumstances), Baltimore City property tax rates are double Baltimore County's tax rates and more than double the tax rates in Howard, Harford, Anne Arundel or Carroll Counties.

Exactly right, but you pay twice as much for no more. It's a scam to redistribute wealth from property owners to

corrupt Baltimore politicians. Even worse, services provided like schools, etc are far worse in the city.

[Digger 68]

^
As usual, wrong. Always.

[pappjohn]

The crime is far higher in Baltimore city than the county also, so you pay higher property taxes to live in
a riskier area. Those democrat politicians in Baltimore are lining their pockets with that tax money though.