County governments across the state are jumping into the “save everyone from everything” governing policy that has become vogue over the last decade. The newest fad is for governments at all levels to try to “freeze property taxes for people 62 years and older.” This may be one of the dumbest ideas I’ve read in a while.
Don’t bring me your “we need to help seniors” argument. Property tax is supposed to be based on market values on one side and government services on the other side. It’s simple taxation. Everyone pays for a portion of the services based on what their property is worth. Nothing in this process is about demographics beyond the fact that someone owns property.
Mixing demographics (age) completely degenerates the entire premise and sets off a chain reaction of other “demographics” that “need” property tax frozen. If you freeze old people’s property taxes, who’s next? Certain races, handicaps, what else? Will grumpy, almost old white guys be oppressed enough to get this tax relief eventually?
Also, freezing old people taxes means young people pay more for the exact same service. It’s the king of bad ideas and that most assuredly means that this will be passed by all the counties in short order.
St. Louis County and Jackson County passed this senior bill and limited the break to people with homes valued less than $550,000. God and some liberal county employees are the only people that understand where that number comes from.
The argument is that old people are losing their homes because of high values and the corresponding taxes. Color me skeptical on this argument being a prevalent occurrence.
I like old people. I aspire to be an old person. Don’t email me your “old people empathy” argument, that is not the point. The proposal is a tax increase on young people and there is no other way to manipulate that truth. It’s also a tax increase without a vote of the people.
It is also likely a compounding tax increase as more and more homeowners seek the freeze on their value and counties are reluctant to value them over the arbitrary thresholds in forthcoming years, more and more of the taxes will be paid by the lowest net worth property owners, while the highest net worth (old people) property owners will avoid the increases.
Surely someone will dig up a copy of the Constitution eventually and put a stop to such nonsense and stick these in the “red light camera” files, but that is probably unlikely as most of the court dockets are full of Trump cases these days.
If “old” offends you, please replace with “senior” throughout this column, I won’t be offended.
Man, I just read what I wrote. I’ve nearly committed a hate crime against old people with this blather. Prayers up for me as I go through this difficult time. Really, I do like old people. I don’t want to brag, but sometimes I go to dinner at Red Lobster at 3 or 4 p.m. just so I can be around old people. If that is not empathy, I don’t know what is.
.
(Guy Speckman can be reached at the local Red Lobster, late afternoon only)