June 17, 2012

22 Comments

I have been a Louisiana resident for 55 years and have noticed drastic increases in property taxes over the last 15 years, especially in East Baton Rouge Parish.

I recently contacted the Assessor’s Office and was advised my property taxes were increased in East Baton Rouge Parish because property owners voted in the increases. Well, that is not totally true because most of the taxes that have been passed were voted on by people who do not own any property at all.

Most of these proposed property taxes would have never passed if voted on only by property owners.

An example is the CATS tax. Why should a person who does not own property have the right to vote on property taxes? They should not because the increase is never going to affect their family budget.

Persons who do not own property will always vote for property tax increases because they will reap all the benefits without paying a dime for the property tax. It is the same as someone filling their tank with gas and having their neighbor paying for it. Louisiana Legislators should pass a law which requires only property owners the privilege to vote on property taxes.

I have noticed when the economy is booming the government is quick to increase property-owners taxes after assessment but when the economy goes belly-up the property taxes are not reduced. Why not?

Increases after assessment may be appropriate when the economy is thriving, but when the economy is on the decline a reduction in property taxes should be appropriate also.

Since 2006, on average, property and home values have decreased 41percent nationwide. However; in the last six years, I have not heard of any tax decreases in East Baton Rouge relative to property value assessment. Property owners should demand a 41percent decrease in their property taxes because they have lost 41 percent in property values.

The irresponsible spending by our politicians should be cut to accommodate the economy, just as working families have learned to adjust their spending.

Barry Lee

Baton Rouge city/parish employee

Jackson

Please log in to comment on this story

Comments (22)


1) Comment by Attila - 13/06/2012

It never ceases to amaze me that the liberal, read socialists, have no problem telling other folks how they should live, what they should believe in, who they should associate with (can you say "diversity"), and more government spending. They have absolutely no problem with out of control government spending as long as it is someone else's money that is being confiscated and spent on things they approve of.

2) Comment by Being_Stupid - 12/06/2012

Thanks Phil. Amazing how the Local Media and Tax Watchdog Groups fight some property taxes and then totally ignore other, more expensive property intrusive property taxes. Unfortunately, the Local Republican Party and State RINOs (Steve Carter, Dan Claitor, Franklin Foil, Hunter Greene) have done more to raise property taxes than the Local Democrat Socialist Party. While Tax Busters and Local Republicans fought the CATs Property Tax, they did nothing to stop Neighborhood Associations and the FGBRCA from raising Property Taxes throughout many middle class neighborhoods. And for some reason those "Crime Prevention" Property Taxes are not Homestead Exempt by the Republican (Former Democrat) Attorney General's Office, yet the CATs Tax has been declared homestead exempt? Meanwhile Republican Tea Party Taxpayers like myself are not happy with our Local RINO Leadership, and yes DMJ I am MAD about it. I don't like having my property stolen from me and having to pay rent to Self Appointed Non Municipalities that somehow have the legal right to tax my property and business and steal my money to fund their Crony Organizations.

3) Comment by phil - 12/06/2012

DMJ are you saying we agree that the ONLY good thing in BR is the low property taxes? Are you agreeing with me that everything else, including spending wasted money downtown, is bad? Thanks for agreeing with me, BUB. Also self-interest seems to include YOU wanting MY tax money, BUB. At least I am not asking for YOUR money, BUB. By the way I am curious what you do for a living, BUB Maybe work for the government, BUB? I kind of like that word "BUB" after all, BUB.

4) Comment by DMJ - 12/06/2012

"the only good thing in BR ARE the relatively low property taxes."-phil. Oops....I guess we DO agree. Don't take it too hard, bub.

5) Comment by DMJ - 12/06/2012

There it is folks..."MY property taxes." At least we agree that your anger derives from self-interest.

6) Comment by phil - 12/06/2012

DMJ - property taxes are lower than some states but other taxes (and fees) here are higher. Mr. Lee's anger is NOT misplaced and WE are not agreeing on anything. By the way, why are you so interested in raising MY property taxes? Being Stupid - you make some good points. Crime prevention districts are controlled by boards and the "fees" are collected by the government similar to the way property taxes are, and the penalties for not paying are similar too. I think someone has figured a way to completely bypass many LA laws and the LA Constitution relative to taxes and the homestead exemption. Maybe someone needs to push obtaining some legal opinions on that subject. Note that you will probably have to get a politician to ask for a legal opinion. Also, the CATS tax has been found to NOT be a municipal tax according to the Attorney General. The next logical step seems to be to declare the CATS tax null and void since it is not what people actually thought they were voting on. Moving on... the next possible step for government (and possibly individuals) to get more of your money is to create special taxing and TIF districts and increase areas like the DDD. Watch this in the future and follow the money!

7) Comment by mdsgu - 12/06/2012

I'm not sure Mr Lee was complaining so much about the property tax rate as much as he was lamenting the facts that 1) there has been an increase in the past few years, 2) people who don't own property are allowed to tell property owners how to spend their money, and 3) the City-Parish government likes to see property owners as a piggy bank. Liberals love to try to sweep inconvenient things under the rug. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...."

8) Comment by DMJ - 12/06/2012

See...even phil admits that property taxes in BR are low. Glad we all agree that Mr. Lee's anger is misplaced. Moving on...

9) Comment by phil - 12/06/2012

I believe statistics show that LA is about in the middle overall relative to taxes. We have high sales taxes here. However, we also have fees that include auto inspection fees etc that some states do not have. Speaking of a fee, how about that sewer fee, and who will pat for that $1.5 billion sewerage project that keeps getting more expensive every year? When was the last time you got to vote on a sewer fee increase? Property taxes are unfair because they really have little to do with government improvements relative to property. I pay fees for sewerage and garbage pickup etc. I also pay separate taxes for roads that run in front of my home. The CATS bus does not run down my street and I have no need to ride the bus but I still have to pay the tax. Then if I cannot afford the property taxes, the government can take my home and all of my equity along with it. Then they can possibly turn it over to redevelopment who will maybe build some nice low income homes on the property and everyone gets rich - everyone except the person who lost his/her home, that is. Property taxes are really unfair. Right now as far as I am concerned about the only good thing in BR ARE the relatively low property taxes. The people who are extreme are those who have plenty of money, talk a big talk about progress, and want even more money and could care less if you lose your home or not.

10) Comment by DMJ - 12/06/2012

Baton Rouge has lower property taxes than roughly 90% of American cities. I guess for some people, if taxes exist, then they're too high. Extremism is an enemy of progress, Barry.

11) Comment by teacherguy - 12/06/2012

Click the link below to see a Fair Tax plan....

12) Comment by teacherguy - 12/06/2012

http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer? pagename=HowFairTaxWorks

13) Comment by Old Man Kensey - 11/06/2012

You know, if we put a stop to all the cronyism of the politicians and closed all the loopholes in the tax code, we would probably not need to come up with all the gimmick taxes to take care of our community... Oh no-- did he say Community!!! I guess I should call myself a socialist now....

14) Comment by bayougirl - 11/06/2012

Okay, Mr. Lee. Try out a little experiment for me, since you've been here for 55 years, sell your property and go move to another state. Buy another property there. See what you get for equal money for your property in a city of as many people as Baton Rouge in another state. Then look at your tax bill. I've lived/worked many other places than Baton Rouge and I can attest to two things 1) property here is absurdly cheap compared to many other desirable areas of the country and 2) people in Baton Rouge don't even suspect property tax. If you don't think that parks, fire stations, sewerage, infrastructure or (God forbid) public transportation make a place more desirable to live and thus increase property value, then I'm done trying to convince you. Problem is, I'm also done wanting to live at the Dollar General which is where many people in this town seem to want to live.

15) Comment by mdsgu - 11/06/2012

Finally! Someone realizes that allowing non-property owners to vote on property taxes is just wrong, wrong, wrong. Someone who doesn't own property telling me, a property owner, what to spend my money on is ludicrous. If you feel you need to vote on a particular tax issue, do what the rest of us did: buy a piece of property -- and pay the taxes on it! Thank you, Mr Lee!

16) Comment by DMJ - 11/06/2012

Tradewins, thanks for taking all the wind out of Barry's argument. He argues that only property owners pay property taxes but there is a big hole in his brain where the realization that renters pay property taxes too (indirectly) should be. Mr. Lee assumes that, because self interest is paramount with him, that all people are similarly selfish. You know....it's kind of how thieves think all people steal.

17) Comment by DMJ - 11/06/2012

"Time off unemployment would be a job." Very catchy....but what does that have to do with anything? Try and stay focused on one phony outrage at a time.

18) Comment by Being_Stupid - 11/06/2012

EXCELLENT LETTER! You can thank your local Neighborhood Association and the Federation of Greater Bator Rouge Civic Associations (FGBRCA) for many of these "Crime Prevention" Municipal Taxing Districts that are used to fund their Property Collectives and strip Individuals of their Property Rights. You can also thank many of the Republican Legislators (Steve Carter, Dan Claitor, Franklin Foil, Hunter Greene) for passing these Property Taxes and Municipal Taxing Districts onto Property Owners in the guise of "Crime Prevention" Districts. Also find it very hypocritical for Republican Attorney General Buddy Caldwell to declare CATs Municipal Taxing District to be homestead exempt, but then not declare Crime Prevention Municipal Taxing Districts to be homestead exempt either. Both Municipal Taxing Districts were imposed onto Property Owners by Non-Municipalities, but for some reason the Republican Leadership / Attorney General only seems to target the CATs Municipal Taxing District and not the Crime Prevention Municipal Taxing Districts. All in all, theses Municipal Taxing Districts being imposed by Non-Municipalities, Blue Ribbon Commissars, and Neighborhood Collectives / Gestapos is growing at an alarming rate in East Baton Rouge. Meanwhile the Republican (RINO) Leadership is part of the problem, not the solution.

19) Comment by tradewinns - 11/06/2012

the property owners who own the rental properties the "others" live in should raise their rents by double the increase in taxes voted on. that will reimburse the owner for the increase cost while also reimbursing him/her the cost of the next tax. when renters actually feel the tax themselves, they will not be all that likely to vote for the next tax increase. welfare folks should not be voting, they should be out looking for a job 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. there is no time off for unemployment, time off unemployment would be a JOB!

20) Comment by DMJ - 11/06/2012

Yes, only property owners being able to vote. It's very retro, very 1750s. Sorry, Barry. Not gonna happen.

21) Comment by BRAC-Sez-I-R-a-An-Anti-Intellektual-List - 11/06/2012

I think this letter reads like a fed up guy on a budget who can figure.

22) Comment by dday198 - 11/06/2012

i love it when people compare government budgets to family budgets and how government should be run like a business. can't help but wonder how many raises in pay that mr lee has refuse to take from his government job. this letter reads like a tea party guy on a government payroll. go figure.