Click Here to See How Much Your Property Taxes Will Go Up

**seand** · 05-21-2012, 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by NickTheCage

Seand wrote something abt you being involved in schools. If you don't mind me asking what do you do for schools?

Nothing but she actually goes to those dreadful hearings, is a constant organizer for group of folks committed to trying to improve and support a decent, walkable school in our neighborhood out beyond Penn. So she's leading citizen-ativist on that topic, I'd say.

**raider.adam** · 05-21-2012, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by seand

Nothing but she actually goes to those dreadful hearings, is a constant organizer for group of folks committed to trying to improve and support a decent, walkable school in our neighborhood out beyond Penn. So she's leading citizen-ativist on that topic, I'd say.

Yeah, the one meeting I sat through with her, I fluctuated between immense respect and outright concern and fear for her.

I've sat through and read through some of the dryest meetings and papers there are and I am afraid of ever having to attend an SRC meeting again. Being fed a soda and Doritos did help take the edge off.

**annie** · 05-21-2012, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by seand

Way off topic but were you around when the one family complained about the raised bed flower garden that our neighbors had guerilla planted in their front lawn? They freaked out and compared the wooden frame of raised bed to the "slave ships my ancestors came on", even though the sides had been painted in bright colors by some of the older kids on the block (who on our block are predominantly African American, with a more mixed batch of todler-aged kids). I would not mind at all if those absentee heirs sold.

I missed that. Wouldn't trespass on anyone's property but that is a bit much. They pay almost a 1/10 of what everyone else on the block docs annnnnd they're 7 years behind. Sheesh.

Originally Posted by NickTheCage

When you say putting money in the classroom, what do you mean by that?

Adequately supplying the classroom (for instance the meager supply of copy paper provided by the district is known to run out well before mid-year) rather than paying teams of snitches high salaries to go around screwing with teachers:
Walkthrough team deems reading area 'clutter,' removes it | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Originally Posted by NickTheCage

Seand wrote something abt you being involved in schools. If you don't mind me asking what do you do for schools?

I volunteer and other things. Rather than jack the thread, feel free to stalk by going to my profile and searching for threads I've started.

**raider.adam** · 05-21-2012, 05:13 PM

Originally Posted by annie

I volunteer and other things. Rather than jack the thread, feel free to stalk by going to my profile and searching for threads I've started.

Wait. That's what stalking is? ****. I've been doing it wrong. I never needed to buy that step ladder.

**NickTheCage** · 05-21-2012, 05:15 PM

Good for annie

**Hospitalitygirl** · 05-21-2012, 05:15 PM

Post AVI Tax Owner Occupier Only
Avg. of likely and more likely 0 Homestead 15k Homestead 40k Homestead
Proposed Admin No Smoothing $13,164 $13,484 $14,082
Green Amendments $12,055 $12,575 $12,896
Proposed Admin w/ Smoothing $11,769 $12,461 $13,856
Range of Tax Payable Without or After Smoothing as Proposed by Admin
Admin Best Case No Smooth $11,046 $11,238 $11,589
Admin Worst Case No Smooth $15,095 $15,554 $16,426

RESIDENTIAL FOLLOW BELOW INSTRUCTIONS FOR MORE DETAIL
Residential owners click on the "My Taxes Residential" tab below if owner occupied
If occupants name is not on the deed go to "My Taxes Residential Rental" tab

* OPA Website: Terms of Use and Disclaimer

That's beyond obscene.

**raider.adam** · 05-21-2012, 05:21 PM

The $40K property homestead exemption almost wipes out my property tax liability and would wipe it out for most people in my neighborhood.

**five apples** · 05-21-2012, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by raider.adam

The $40K property homestead exemption almost wipes out my property tax liability and would wipe it out for most people in my neighborhood.

I have no idea what the Homestead thing means. Would someone be kind enough to explain.

**gren** · 05-21-2012, 06:49 PM

Originally Posted by five apples

I have no idea what the Homestead thing means. Would someone be kind enough to explain.

Homestead exemptions can be all kinds of things to protect homeowners from property tax increases. In this case I believe X homestead exemption means they're exempting the first X amount from being taxed for owner occupied homes. So if you have an 100k home and a 40k exemption you're only taxed on 60k. Again, I believe that's what is meant in this case but am not certain.

**devilspocket** · 05-21-2012, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by five apples

I have no idea what the Homestead thing means. Would someone be kind enough to explain.

With a homestead exemption, a certain amount, yet to be determined, would be excluded from the tax basis of your property. For example, if your assessed value is $200,000 and the exemption is $40,000, you would be taxed on $160,000 instead of $200,000. As I understand it, the exemption would be for owner-occupied primary residences.

Has anyone here heard of anyone whose taxes will actually decrease under avi? Mine will nearly triple according to Green's spreadsheet. I, fortunately I guess, live on a block that has been reassessed numerous times in the last 20 years; some of my neighbors have not been reassessed in that time, and their taxes will skyrocket, some of them increasing 10X.

**five apples** · 05-21-2012, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by devilspocket

With a homestead exemption, a certain amount, yet to be determined, would be excluded from the tax basis of your property. For example, if your assessed value is $200,000 and the exemption is $40,000, you would be taxed on $160,000 instead of $200,000. As I understand it, the exemption would be for owner-occupied primary residences.

Has anyone here heard of anyone whose taxes will actually decrease under avi? Mine will nearly triple according to Green's spreadsheet. I, fortunately I guess, live on a block that has been reassessed numerous times in the last 20 years; some of my neighbors have not been reassessed in that time, and their taxes will skyrocket, some of them increasing 10X.

Well I might qualify than as it is my primary residence. Mine would increase 3x. I have been reassessed 3 times to date.

**five apples** · 05-21-2012, 08:26 PM

Dave Davies has an article on Green's Proposal.

Nutter's finance chief concedes tax plan would shift burden to homeowners

City finance director Rob Dubow said late Monday it's "a real possibility" that City Councilman Bill Green is right in his assertion that Mayor Nutter's property tax plan will increase residential taxpayers burden while giving a tax cut to businesses.

"I think that the effect he’s talking about is a real effect, and it's worth having conversations with Council about how to manage it," Dubow said in a phone interview.

Green made his case a week ago in City Council, and in a news conference today he released detailed calculations suggesting that residential property tax payments could rise 25 percent or more under Nutter's plan to go to a property tax system based on market values.

**NickTheCage** · 05-21-2012, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by five apples

Well I might qualify than as it is my primary residence. Mine would increase 3x. I have been reassessed 3 times to date.

GTFOH?

Your property taxes are set to triple?

**five apples** · 05-21-2012, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by NickTheCage

GTFOH?

Your property taxes are set to triple?

It would seem so. But my neighborhood has had a drastic increase in value in the last five years. I imagine it will be same for most of the people in South Philly.

This will certainly get the anti-gentrifiers going.

**NickTheCage** · 05-21-2012, 09:00 PM

Originally Posted by five apples

It would seem so. But my neighborhood has had a drastic increase in value in the last five years. I imagine it will be same for most of the people in South Philly.

This will certainly get the anti-gentrifiers going.

What drastic increase in value can justify your property taxes to triple and how does the city justify tripling property taxes to the owners in ur neighborhood?

Is anyone pissed off?

Where do you live?

**gren** · 05-21-2012, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by NickTheCage

What drastic increase in value can justify your property taxes to triple and how does the city justify tripling property taxes to the owners in ur neighborhood?

Is anyone pissed off?

Where do you live?

I think a lot of us recognize that the property tax system in the city is messed up. I think a lot of us realize we've been paying low taxes. So just because a tax bill triples doesn't mean it's ridiculous.

I pay 2/3% of what I bought my house for which is probably approximately market value. I looked at a random home from Graduate Hospital that just sold for $330,000 which is set to pay a property tax bill of $220. I think they'll be quite okay if their property tax quadruples (presumably when the abatement is up). I don't think paying 1% of your house's value in property taxes is unreasonable. We'll be paying more than that it seems. But if there's a debate it should be what percentage of your home's value should go to taxes each year not how much more are you paying than your previous semi-random tax burden before. All of this is contingent on "actual value" being somewhere close to the actual value of the home.

**billy ross** · 05-21-2012, 09:43 PM

Originally Posted by NickTheCage

What drastic increase in value can justify your property taxes to triple and how does the city justify tripling property taxes to the owners in ur neighborhood?

Is anyone pissed off?

Where do you live?

If taxes go from $500 per year to $1,500 per year, they've tripled. However, that would be a relief - to pay $1,500 per year to live in a nice neighborhood is a pretty good deal. Right now many people are terrified of doomsday scenarios that aren't realistic, like $8k per year in property taxes to live in a 'regular' neighborhood.

I'd like to see Green's methodology - I suspect that he's using pessimistic assumptions in a scaremongering tactic. I don't trust him or his numbers at all.

**devilspocket** · 05-21-2012, 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by NickTheCage

GTFOH?

Your property taxes are set to triple?

Yes, my tax rate would triple, but I would not complain if rates are set fairly across the city. I currently pay a lot more than people who live a few blocks from me. I am totally in favor of a an equitable tax rate for everyone in the city. My neighborhood has seen a lot of equity growth in the last 20 years, and I have no problem with everyone's tax rates going up. I do use city services and expect to pay for them.

**BrianL** · 05-21-2012, 10:41 PM

My only problem with paying more to the city, which I should because my taxes are ridiculously low, is that the current powers that be will waste it.

**Tartan69** · 05-21-2012, 10:55 PM

Looks like mine are set to increase by 266% (slightly less than tripling).

BTW, how do you find out how they've classified your property? I'm in an owner-occupied multi-unit rental, and I want to make sure it is classified as a residential rather than commercial. Unfortunately can't find mention of the designation on the OPA site.