My neighbor will pay only $400 in property tax for her house this year, while I will pay about ten times that for a nearly identical house.Today is July 4, and I’m celebrating not only my country’s independence, but I’m also thanking God that I was born in the United States of America, where I can I vent my dislike of how the government is run without worrying about military troops coming to my home in the middle of the night to quietly take me away, never to be heard from again. If I feel like it, I can even go to the state capitol to protest by carrying a sign and walking up and down the sidewalk; and yet I am comforted to know that the government will do nothing to me in retaliation.
This great country of America was founded on July 4 in 1776 by intelligent citizens of England, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Africa, and other countries who were fed up with unequal taxation without representation. Bloody battles were fought over many years for the right to govern these United States. So, why is it that after all that fuss, we are back to square one?
Have you gotten your Florida property tax bill for next year? How do you feel about it?
I bought my house last year and despite the homestead deduction which I now qualify for, I’m still paying about ten times what the neighbor across the street is paying, who has a house nearly identical to mine in size, shape, number of rooms and bathrooms, year built, and type of construction. I will pay about $4000 in property taxes next year. She will pay about $400.
Last fall when I volunteered for the Democratic party to assist with the Barack Obama for President campaign, I complained to my fellow Democrats that the property tax system here in Florida is extremely unfair. I gave my own house as an example.
Their response: “People who bought their houses years ago have paid into the system for several years. You’re reaping the benefits of what they paid for in roads, schools, and libraries, but didn’t pay anything into it. You’re paying a higher rate because you’re making up for lost time.”
“But, I paid into the system in another state. It’s not like I wasn’t paying my share,” was my response.
“But, you live here, now,” they said.
I retreated, unprepared for that particular argument.
I was able to look up my neighbor’s property tax records online, thanks to the United States government’s public information act (only in America!); a well-oiled and organized property tax department, who keep good records; and the magic of the internet (otherwise, I’d be downtown scuffling through dusty file cabinets). The neighbor purchased her home in 1989 and is currently paying taxes on a valuation of about $18,000 (after exemptions), even though she could easily sell the home for about $200,000, even in today’s economy. While her taxes will rise by approximately 3 percent each year (as will mine), there will always be a huge disparity between our tax bills.
I did the math – just how much more in taxes will I pay over twenty years than my neighbor has paid, even including the ten years I didn’t own my home?
Two Nearly Identical Houses – Two Very Different Tax Bills
Both tax bills will increase by about 3% each year with today's current tax system.
Within 20 years, my neighbor will have paid a total of about $8000 in property taxes, about what I'll pay every 2 years. Within 20 years, I'll have paid over six times more than my neighbor, even including the ten years I did not own my house. Hmmm. That’s enough to make me think about moving to another state.
See Part 1: Why Florida Has No Money - Florida's Unequal Tax System.
| Tax years | Taxes on House bought in 1989 | Taxes on House bought in 2008 |
| 1989 – 2007 | About $3000 total | (different owner) $0 |
| 2009 | $391 | $3700 with the homestead exemption |
| 2010 | $403 | $3811 |
| 2011 | $415 | $3925 |
| 2012 | $428 | $4043 |
| 2013 | $441 | $4164 |
| 2014 | $454 | $4289 |
| 2015 | $467 | $4418 |
| 2016 | $481 | $4551 |
| 2017 | $496 | $4687 |
| 2018 | $511 | $4972 |
| TOTAL paid over 20 years | $7867 | $51,049 |
Within 20 years, my neighbor will have paid a total of about $8000 in property taxes, about what I'll pay every 2 years. Within 20 years, I'll have paid over six times more than my neighbor, even including the ten years I did not own my house. Hmmm. That’s enough to make me think about moving to another state.
See Part 1: Why Florida Has No Money - Florida's Unequal Tax System.
