Property Tax Credit

[Fester]

While I understand your sentiment, Lord Burgum made one of the same points I've made from the beginning which is that eliminating property taxes will accelerate out-of-state and foreign ownership and control of North Dakota.

ND would become the only state in the country without property taxes. Where do you think the blue platers and sconis will choose to purchase lake property and retire... their shithole states or a better one with no property taxes?

Think Gates and China owning ND is already a problem? What better place to buy massive tracts of land than the only state without property taxes?

Buying tracts of land like a business or personal property?

 

[Fester]

First thing that should be done is if you are over 65 you are exempt from property taxes on a primary home only. It is crazy that you can lose your home over property taxes . Farmers who are over 65 get an exemption on the home quarter .

Then they could be dropped by at least 50% with the money the state has in its coffers

Yup totally agree and I would be OK with this. Problem is the smart people we have elected have had many many many years to address this. Time to take it into our own hands. Would have could have should have.... at some point the people will get the job done.

 

[Fester]

It's a hell of a lot more than $5-10k/year on massive tracts of land.

And if the whole premise is that grandma is losing her house over property taxes then it sounds like $5-10k/yr is significant enough to make a move.

Can't have it both ways... property taxes are so insignificant that no entity large or small would make decisions based on property taxes, yet they are so egregiously high that people are losing their homes?

Did Montana get rid of property tax, or Wyoming? Nope. If people want it they will buy it regardless of property tax. You think a billionaire gives a shit about a property tax? That chump change to them. The people it affects are "normal" people.

 

[Allen]

To a certain degree this is true, but not completely. The wealthy tend to travel more & spend some of this money out of state. So the sales tax won't necessarily end up in the state's coffers.

Right, and no sales taxes are collected on money saved. The poor who live paycheck to paycheck spend every penny they get, the rich do not...even if they do spend a lot more than our poorest.

In general, I get the concept of people not liking to pay taxes. However, I get screwed EVERY DAMN time the tax codes get tweaked. If property taxes go away, I am sure I will end up paying more in some other tax than I currently do in property tax.

As far as the elderly losing their homes to taxes. 1. This is not that common in ND and shouldn't be the basis for removing property taxes. 2. We all knew there were/are property taxes when we bought the place. Not accounting for them in retirement is an example of piss-poor planning.

I have met exactly one person who had to sell their home in retirement because of a lack of ability to pay the bills. It was an elderly gent in Grand Forks I willingly overpaid for a table/desk when I first moved there. He had retired from a local utility company with a set pension that had no cost-of-living adjustment. Go figure, 20-some years after retiring, his pension and Social Security no longer covered utilities, repairs, and property taxes on a 3,000 square foot home in a nice GF neighborhood, much less left him with enough money for food and clothing. My point being, if you can't afford the property taxes...you aren't likely to afford the upkeep and utilities either.

 

[Obi-Wan]

I believe the brain child of this anti-property tax initiative pays a little over $100k/year into Burleigh county.

Remember, it's not just little old ladies and farmers who pay property tax. Business owners do as well, and they are well known to pinch pennies in furtherance of their profits.

business owners need to control costs or they will not stay in business while government employees like yourself do not need to turn a profit, but like to squawk about private businesses being greedy. Maybe if all government employees, including yourself would " pinch pennies " the public would not be over taxed like they are now.

 

[Ruttin]

It's a hell of a lot more than $5-10k/year on massive tracts of land.

And if the whole premise is that grandma is losing her house over property taxes then it sounds like $5-10k/yr is significant enough to make a move.

Can't have it both ways... property taxes are so insignificant that no entity large or small would make decisions based on property taxes, yet they are so egregiously high that people are losing their homes?

Just to be clear I said "I wouldn't move to save $5-10K" Carry On

 

[WormWiggler]

a staggered tax ?

over 65, ND resident, american citizen, occupy property, ..... zero tax burden

then criteria with the other end being: Foreign govt..... punitive taxes

and several designations in between, the gist being, live here, work here, reward


of course corrupting the system, especially by the persons doing the initial plan building would need a solution.


not to derail the discussion but "Should corporations be allowed to own real property?".... seems like that issue has a root in the ugly truth about capitalism, big ruins thing....

 

[Kurtr]

how would you feel if the property tax was eliminated on primary residence only ? property tax on all ag land ( it is a business ) taxes on commercial property ( again it is a business ) and property taxes on all 2nd properties such as lake / hunting cabins, second homes.

That seems like a really reasonable solution. If we had that option down here i would be all in favor of it

 

[wslayer]

how would you feel if the property tax was eliminated on primary residence only ? property tax on all ag land ( it is a business ) taxes on commercial property ( again it is a business ) and property taxes on all 2nd properties such as lake / hunting cabins, second homes.

Either case, could certainly be in the discussion

 

[NDSportsman]

The simple fact is we are paying plenty of taxes already. There's fuel and vehicle taxes to support the roads and arterial infrastructure. There's income and sales tax to pay for schools, fire and law enforcement. There's enough in the slush fund already to support any additional needs for years to come. This will send a message to the government that they need to start tightening their belts and cutting the fat. We are sick and tired of the over spending and taxation!

 

[Davey Crockett]

I'd like to hear opinions from people who are on city councils and budget committees , how they think it would transform.

 

[Slappy]

What is the yearly tax on 640 acres farmland in ND ? Do you really think that little amount is going to stop someone from purchasing a section for 1.6 million. ( avg of $ 2,500.00 / acre ) If they have the 1.6 million saving a few thousand dollars a year in taxes is not going to change their decision either way.

Very good point that taxes on large pieces are currently low but could be more appealing if it's known they won't exist to increase.

An even better point was made by another that it could make buying up middle class houses by large corporations an even more lucrative investment, and that is generally not good for lower and middle class.

 

[Ruttin]

Just end the tax and cut the Health and Social Service budget in half to start with.

 

[Pheasant 54]

Just end the tax and cut the Health and Social Service budget in half to start with.

My only issue with this is the Kids, there should be a way for them to be taken care of . One of the things that should never happen is hungry kids. However I know of families that are totally cashed up but the kids are on multiple social programs , One area that should definitely be cleaned up

 

[FightingSioux]

The simple fact is we are paying plenty of taxes already. There's fuel and vehicle taxes to support the roads and arterial infrastructure. There's income and sales tax to pay for schools, fire and law enforcement. There's enough in the slush fund already to support any additional needs for years to come. This will send a message to the government that they need to start tightening their belts and cutting the fat. We are sick and tired of the over spending and taxation!

Property taxes are half of what they are in ND. There is also no state income tax. Most of the cities in WY have 5% sales tax.

If WY can do it so can ND!

 

[NDSportsman]

ND's government has gotten so bloated over the last 10-15 years it's absolutely ridiculous!

 

[Reprobait]

An even better point was made by another that it could make buying up middle class houses by large corporations an even more lucrative investment, and that is generally not good for lower and middle class.

I agree. In many parts of the country investors are buying single family homes and turning them into rentals or even just letting them sit. This has horrible implications for the middle class, families, and communities as we are turned into a nation of semi-nomadic renters who will never be able to afford to retire.

 

[johnr]

My only issue with this is the Kids, there should be a way for them to be taken care of . One of the things that should never happen is hungry kids. However I know of families that are totally cashed up but the kids are on multiple social programs , One area that should definitely be cleaned up

Agree.

Most of these hungry kids seem to have a mom with tats, iPhones, and an SUV, and the baby daddy seems to somehow not be held accountable. But me as a father am accountable for feeding this fuckers kids.

Something needs to change in this system, and the reservation system has run its course too.

 

[BrokenBackJack]

Anytime you can eliminate a tax, you had better do it.
Government will not ever learn to tighten their belt and do more with less. They just keep expanding and taxing one more every year or every other year. They give you crumbs to buy down your property taxes, so hopefully you won't try to eliminate them. They tried this before remember?
How much has your property tax increased in the last 5-10 years? Do you think that will stop happening? You better think again.
Just wait, you will be hearing the dam is breaking and we will have to eliminate all the needed programs. They always say this, or they say, it is for the kids. Building these expensive schools and gyms isn't making the kids any smarter or pushing them to learn more.
Vote to end property tax and they will figure out where the dollars will need to come from to make up the money.

 

[espringers]

All elderly with low income qualify for homestead tax exemption do they not?