Regarding the letter, “Snohomish County needs to stabilize property tax calculations”: Too many governmental organizations are using property taxes as a general means of raising revenue. Sound Transit placed measure ST3 on ballots in Snohomish, King and Pierce counties for Phase 3 expansion. I don’t disagree with the need for light rail expansion, the tax measure was passed by many voters who do not own property. These are non-property owners who rent or lease apartments and who would greatly benefit from ST3; whereas, many current property owners in these same three counties are seniors or retirees who have or are attempting to pay off their mortgages on fixed income.
There is a phrase that was the war cry of the colonial revolution against the British — “taxation without representation.” Yes, the current housing market is skyrocketing, and yet property owners have no control over the rising assessment. As the letter said, the only options are to borrow more money to pay the taxes or sell and hope to find another home that they can afford. This is a vicious circle. I wonder from a legal point of view whether the Sound Transit tax measure might be considered a violation of property rights. Yes, renters and those leasing will technically see an increase in their rental or lease rates; but, the homeowner is bearing the entire burden.
I am not a lawyer, but someone should review the legality of this taxation approach. Until renters and property owners share in the total cost of such taxation processes; more and more seniors will be forced out of their homes. Is this the type of society that we really want to live in? All light rail users who are not “property owners” should pay an additional use fee based on their annual income as reported by their employers to support this transportation system. This would provide an equitable fairness to the entire taxation process.
For many seniors and potential retirees, the state’s proposed solution to funding our education under the McCleary ruling again focuses on using property taxes as the basis for financing this mandate. When the second housing bubble crashes; where are we? As much as I hate a state income tax, that may be the most fair way to finance our education system. Otherwise, there should be limitations on property taxes as stated by the letter writer, perhaps tied to the local CPI annually.
Alison Sing
Lynnwood
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