Comments on SFHomeBlog.com - A San Francisco Real Estate Blog: Prop 13: A Lamprey on the Necks of California Yout...

Repeal prop 13 now, but NOT so inefficient gover...

2009-07-07T19:45:45.492-07:00

Repeal prop 13 now, but *NOT* so inefficient government can suck more dollars and waste them away.
Repeal prop 13 because it's immoral, unfair and socially irresponsible to have young couples and new comers pay 5x, 10x what others pay for the same thing.

Since 1978 many homes were bought and sold. Many new-comers, new neighborhoods popped-up, most pay much higher property taxes. What changed is the run cost.
Somehow, counties become less and less efficient with every new tax dollar in revenue.
When disaster strikes, they cut services and make us pay for what once was free.

Since that in boom years of real-estate appreciation, schools do not need 5x, 10x more funding. This is why FIXED PERCENTAGE of property tax DOES NOT MAKE SENSE.

Instead, counties should estimate the amount of tax they need and figure-out new percentage annually.

I hope that you are still around, Matt. I concur ...

2008-11-03T18:24:00.000-08:00

I hope that you are still around, Matt. I concur with you 100%....Prop 13 is ruining the State...

In contrast: My wife and I and our adult daughter bought a condo in Cambridge, Mass, a year ago, a mile from Harvard, where she is a grad student...
We paid $442,500.... Our tax bill that we just got, for fiscal 08-09.... : $1850 per year, after the $1600 owner-occupier credit.... (They "fully assess" based on the sales price.!) That means that, for O/O the tax bill is 35% of what it would be in San Francisco.!!!!!)

I bought a 4 unit place in 1975, when I was 31. It is worth, now, 1.6M.... My tax bill: $2,000 a year.!!!!!

I think JarvisGann needs to be significantly modified. Perhaps: To the base, as currently computed: add the change in the CPI, annually, or some percentage thereof, with a ceiling, perhaps.

2% a year is a real scam on the general population.

By the way: Cambridge, Mass. spends over twice as much, per pupil, per year, as does SF....

We are treating our segment that needs public schools....like beggars and "unwashed"... We think that's a good thing, etc.??? Sounds like Dickens' London.

If you would have an annual property tax bill of $...

2008-01-30T22:49:00.000-08:00

If you would have an annual property tax bill of $12,000, then your house is valued at 1.2 million? The repeal of prop 13 would curb the ridiculous growth of home prices in the state, maybe your house would only be worth 7-800k, but your property taxes would be more reasonable. Why should more recent homeowners subsidize the growth of your home investment? How is it that per pupil spending has doubled as you claim, but CA's ranking in the nation for that statistic has almost completely reversed at the same time (from top to bottom of the rankings)?

Prop 13 should be repealed and replaced with an eq...

2006-07-20T00:58:00.000-07:00

Prop 13 should be repealed and replaced with an equivalent state tax credit if you meet income restrictions. This will automatically take care of the poor homeowners.

Income and not age should be a determining factor. If you are elderly and rich you better fork up the dough to pay for the future. Because the future is what is paying your social security and keeping you alive on the miracle drugs.

Prop 13 isn't just about how California schools we...

2006-03-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

Prop 13 isn't just about how California schools went from first to worst (http://www.pbs.org/merrow/tv/ftw/prop13.html)...

It's also about how cities fight each other to attract Big Box Stores and Auto Malls, and to try to dump citizens on each other.

How broken is it that cities -don't- want to attract residents because residents are a drain and take away space from retail.

Thanks to Prop 13, we have a Best Buy in East Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale - is that really necessary?

And to the person who said that he can't afford a prop tax change of $3500->$12000, why is it fair that the person who moves in next door to you tomorrow pays $12000 while you pay $3500 for the exact same unit?

Unquestionably... There is no easy way to solve t...

2006-03-24T13:10:00.000-08:00

Unquestionably... There is no easy way to solve this problem now... Perhaps just to repeal Prop.13 for purchases beginning on an arbitrary date (like Jan 1, 2007)?

The consequence of that would be a huge jump in sales leading up to that deadline, however...

Again, no easy answers, but worth thinking about.

Since the municipalities can't find other ways to come up with the $$, we need to look at every available option.

Of couse, if Prop 13 is repealed, it will have sev...

2006-03-24T13:04:00.000-08:00

Of couse, if Prop 13 is repealed, it will have several unintended consequences, including increasing the rate of gentrification.

What do you think will happen to long-time home owners when their tax rates go up 4, 5, or 6 times their current rate?

What will happen in Bernal Heights, let alone Bayview/Hunters Point?

You will see an astonishing turnover in demographics.

And personally, I brought a house on the south side of SF 10 yrs. ago.

I can't afford to pay a stepped up prop tax -- it would go from around $3500 to $12,000 or so.

So I will be selling my house and transfering to my company's Florida office (where I have no great desire to live) if that happens.

One more thing -- if you look at inflation adjusted per student spending in California, it has more than doubled since 1978.

Not in nominal terms, in real inflation adjusted terms. Think we're getting twice as good an education as in 1978?

I don't think dollars spent is the issue, but that's another lonf discussion.