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Property tax (and insurance, and maintenance, and any mortgage, and admin costs) is an expense of the landlord, not the renter. The landlord is responsible for the property tax whether the rental income they are receiving covers their expenses or not.
You're absolutely right, but it's sort of both. It depends on how you view it over time.
In the long run, across the real estate board, the renter pays the property tax. Because in the long run, the landlord would not own the house if it didn't earn him profit.
In the short term, the landlord may pay for the property tax alone without the help of tenant rent. In that case, it's a failed investment and part of the risk taken in buying rental property.
Doesn't make the landlord a bully, he's just another player in the game. The real "winner" is whatever government body receives the tax money.
Local school systems funded through local property taxes is the formula for socioeconomic self-segregation. If you live in the leafy suburb with the gold-plated school system, you have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. There's really little point in discussing it since there is little chance it will ever change. Affluent, college educated professionals don't want their children sitting in the same classroom with the unwashed masses. They are the ones giving the campaign contributions to maintain the status quo. No politician is going to risk losing the money that gets them re-elected.
Often enough, the people who work hardest against the interests of top-rated school systems are best characterized as downscale tax-hating deplorables.
Or... "Renting is where you pay to live in a home with less commitment, risk, and hassle"
Less commitment, perhaps but not necessarily less risk or less hassle. I once rented a room in a house...a married couple was sleeping on living room recliners while renting out every bedroom in a desperate attempt to save their house from foreclosure (they did a subprime refi to pay off hubby's huge medical bills plus his health did not permit a return to work)...they had a running mortgage delinquency, a few months in his health plummeted and he died, and with his disability income gone, the house was foreclosed by the end of the year. This displacement led me to rent a room from a laid off construction worker (2009, local construction was just about zero)...he turned out to be a drunk who used all 99 weeks of unemployment benefits and then went on disability (never returned to work although local construction recovered nicely)...he'd go to a bar to pick up a woman (he NEVER went to a bar to drink because drinking at home was a lot cheaper), she'd move in with him, neither had a job so they'd stay in the house all day and drink and then they would fight and either she would storm off in her car or he would kick her out. (She would be back within 24 hours as if nothing happened.) This would happen about 3 times a week, with some police calls and DV arrests along the way.
So much for less risk and hassle! (The major risk associated with renting is that you don't have long-term housing security, and rents can always jump, but excess drama is always a possibility.)
Nothing groundbreaking here but this was on my mind because of another thread I just read so I figured I'd see what other people think.
I understand that as a homeowner you receive public works services, fire etc. but I feel like property tax is the worst tax in the country and should be replaced by other taxes on workers and consumption. Why? Because you pay it no matter whether you are earning an income or not or have any money to spend. It's pretty crummy that you can never actually 'own' your house because of taxes
KEEP because it is locally controlled and based on value. I think the "you can't ever own your house because you will always owe taxes" argument is a baseless and stupid one.
Property taxes linked to market value make American communities so to speak very transient and socially segregated. I really cannot imagine free people caring about each other and themselves doing anything like that to themselves, unless those people want social segregation and no stable diverse communities sheltering them somewhat from economic and life uncertainties. Basically with property taxes in place they will force you from your home at the times you need it the most which somewhat defies the purpose of a shelter. Besides many tax sales are a tad short of fraud and legal expropriation and many are just that.
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