This fall, seven states will have the opportunity to cut — or abolish, in some cases — property taxes. In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss whether that’s a good idea. (Spoiler: It isn’t.)
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A city may not be able to change from a sales tax system to a different approach—it might be stuck with what the state allows—but that doesn’t make them helpless to overcome the challenges the sales tax presents.
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Hartford, CT, was the first city in the U.S. to repeal parking minimums. So…why is its downtown still 22% parking lots?
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Detroit’s mayor is endorsing a land value tax plan that could lead to 97% of the city’s homeowners getting a 30% reduction in their taxes.
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I was asked how much the typical suburban development is costing this Tennessee city. Here’s what I found.
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For local governments, it’s often easier to let the tangled web of debt at the heart of the budget go unexplored. In cities reliant on sales tax, these problems are only magnified.
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Dating back to the 1800s, researchers in the U.S. have challenged the property tax system. So why, to this day, do the richest continue getting a "discount" on their taxes, while the poorest are overcharged?
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Plenty of debate swirls around the question of whether or not government services like transit should be "free" to the end user. Here's what's missing from that debate.
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As Asheville, NC, promises to make up for past harms done to its Black community, it glosses over an ongoing disparity: less-wealthy homeowners (who are disproportionately Black) are overpaying on their property taxes.
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At a glance, the sales tax is a nearly invisible revenue source that is also a cash cow. Yet, for local governments, it is the most distorting of taxes. Here’s why.
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As America’s cities continue their halting climb up and out of the last few years, data analytics firm Urban3 foresees a few crises—as well as opportunities—waiting for them in 2023.
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All over the U.S., studies have shed light on how much residents in lower-valued homes are being overassessed on property taxes. Now, Buncombe County, NC, is offering residents a space to appeal their assessments.
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If a natural disaster hit your city, would your tax revenue pay for the damage, or would you be underwater—literally and figuratively?
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Property taxes represent the largest source of revenue for most local governments, and data shows that even unglamorous downtown areas offer more value as taxable properties than big box stores.
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Mansions on large lots, not rundown properties in low-socioeconomic-status neighborhoods, are the real blight on a community’s financial health.
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There are some obvious anomalies that are being overlooked in the property tax assessment system. Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 pulls back the curtain in this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast.
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As an ad hoc committee recently discovered, owners of higher-valued properties are more likely to receive a tax break…simply because of bad data.
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If you don’t own a home, and don’t have plans to own one anytime soon, you might think property taxes don’t concern you. But, what if we told you that they definitely do?
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These curves are costing Americans a lot, both financially and physically.
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Two charts illustrate the massive housing shortage in Buncombe County, NC, and show why we need to get property taxes right.
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