Tax system conjures archaic comparisons
In the 17th and 18th centuries, England taxed the windows on houses and then the people boarded up their windows. We think: How ridiculous.
Today, under law, we are forced to pay property taxes based on 2006, 2007 and 2008 sales of comparatives. My house does not have the same value as those years and the dollar is certainly harder to earn today.
Yet I must pay taxes on those years for 2009 in 2010 - not on the real selling value of my property. I pay more taxes for property that is worth less than its selling price. People in these agencies who collect this money know that this system is not equitable and fair. It places cruel burdens on distressed homeowners.
Under this current system the deck is stacked in favor of those who feed off the public trough. Boards of Review and Boards of Appeals do not benefit the ordinary man in this economic depression. This unjust system does not encourage economic recovery or promote spending on goods or services. People in the future will be laughing at us the same way we laugh at the people of England.
Charles Elwert
Addison