Tax Assessments
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
In response to a notice of a more than 50 percent increase in the assessment of my property, I sent a letter to the township assessor. In my letter I requested a written response to two questions and presented date and sale prices of real estate transactions that had taken place for the properties that surround my house over a two-year period leading up to the arbitrary date selected by the state as the magic "trend" date by which all property assessments were to be adjusted. I asked that I be notified in writing specifically who had inspected the property and how the amount of the adjustment had been determined. I also asked that if there was going to be an increase in the amount of tax I was going to be obligated to pay, then I would like to have a list of the new or improved benefits I could expect to receive as a result. I think when someone takes my money I am entitled to know what I will receive in return.
What I have gotten so far has been a telephone call acknowledging receipt of my letter and to tell me that the information I provided was irrelevant because the dates of the property sales I provided were not within the span specified in the change in state law which established the "trend" period upon which new assessments were based. I didn't know that "trends" began at midnight of a certain date in time. I thought they reflected circumstances as they evolved over a chronological span. Of course, the figures I presented did not support an increase in assessment or taxes, and I believe it is more than coincidence that the period selected for trending parallels the most recent highs in the real estate market. The township assessor who called advised me that in addition to the fact that my dates and prices were invalid, she did not have time to respond in writing and would treat my letter as an "informal complaint" and schedule me for a hearing within the next 30 days. I do not consider anything about my complaint as being informal. I just happen to be sick and tired of government officials who are ever ready to add to the burden of the taxpayer, instead of taking actions to reduce costs and eliminate entitlements.
It's obvious that our State General Assembly does have some inkling about how difficult it is to get along in today's world, at least as it applies to them. On April 30, the Times-Union reported that during the session recently concluded, the General Assembly passed a two-year budget, in which there were bills that included new health care retirement benefits for some state employees, including lawmakers (Bill 501) and another (Bill 401), whereby the base salary for members of the General Assembly will increase between now and 2009 from $11,600 to more than $20,000 a year. These are the same officials who when interviewed insist their top priority is property tax relief. I could go on for pages about what I consider to be the idiocy and inconsistency of some of the things our elected officials wasted their time and our money debating. I think I will but in a separate letter at another time.
It is my strong belief that one of the major causes of the need for increased funds to operate the government is a direct result of the costs associated with illegal immigration and its financial impact on every facet of the system.
I see now my mistake was being born in this country and having legal citizens for parents. We should have crawled in under a fence, stolen someone else's identity and enjoyed all the benefits that Hoosiers' tax dollars provide. All without worrying about reassessments or filing tax forms every year, and all with the apparent approval of federal, state, local, county and city governments.
David Easton
Warsaw, via e-mail
Editor's Note: This letter was edited to conform more closely to the 500-limit stated in our Letters Policy.[[In-content Ad]]
In response to a notice of a more than 50 percent increase in the assessment of my property, I sent a letter to the township assessor. In my letter I requested a written response to two questions and presented date and sale prices of real estate transactions that had taken place for the properties that surround my house over a two-year period leading up to the arbitrary date selected by the state as the magic "trend" date by which all property assessments were to be adjusted. I asked that I be notified in writing specifically who had inspected the property and how the amount of the adjustment had been determined. I also asked that if there was going to be an increase in the amount of tax I was going to be obligated to pay, then I would like to have a list of the new or improved benefits I could expect to receive as a result. I think when someone takes my money I am entitled to know what I will receive in return.
What I have gotten so far has been a telephone call acknowledging receipt of my letter and to tell me that the information I provided was irrelevant because the dates of the property sales I provided were not within the span specified in the change in state law which established the "trend" period upon which new assessments were based. I didn't know that "trends" began at midnight of a certain date in time. I thought they reflected circumstances as they evolved over a chronological span. Of course, the figures I presented did not support an increase in assessment or taxes, and I believe it is more than coincidence that the period selected for trending parallels the most recent highs in the real estate market. The township assessor who called advised me that in addition to the fact that my dates and prices were invalid, she did not have time to respond in writing and would treat my letter as an "informal complaint" and schedule me for a hearing within the next 30 days. I do not consider anything about my complaint as being informal. I just happen to be sick and tired of government officials who are ever ready to add to the burden of the taxpayer, instead of taking actions to reduce costs and eliminate entitlements.
It's obvious that our State General Assembly does have some inkling about how difficult it is to get along in today's world, at least as it applies to them. On April 30, the Times-Union reported that during the session recently concluded, the General Assembly passed a two-year budget, in which there were bills that included new health care retirement benefits for some state employees, including lawmakers (Bill 501) and another (Bill 401), whereby the base salary for members of the General Assembly will increase between now and 2009 from $11,600 to more than $20,000 a year. These are the same officials who when interviewed insist their top priority is property tax relief. I could go on for pages about what I consider to be the idiocy and inconsistency of some of the things our elected officials wasted their time and our money debating. I think I will but in a separate letter at another time.
It is my strong belief that one of the major causes of the need for increased funds to operate the government is a direct result of the costs associated with illegal immigration and its financial impact on every facet of the system.
I see now my mistake was being born in this country and having legal citizens for parents. We should have crawled in under a fence, stolen someone else's identity and enjoyed all the benefits that Hoosiers' tax dollars provide. All without worrying about reassessments or filing tax forms every year, and all with the apparent approval of federal, state, local, county and city governments.
David Easton
Warsaw, via e-mail
Editor's Note: This letter was edited to conform more closely to the 500-limit stated in our Letters Policy.[[In-content Ad]]
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