Property Tax
While the Supreme Court argues the constitutionality of Proposition 13, perhaps we should look at the merits of a property tax in the first place. The tax is levied against property owners to pay for services rendered by the city and county. Do these services grow proportionally with property values? Should longtime homeowners pay less for these services than newcomers?
The real beneficiaries are politicians who have constituents divided over higher taxes instead of banding together to vote out those who freely spend the money.
How about removing property taxes and replacing them with a “resident” tax, with every house being levied the same amount. This would return the system of checks and balances between those in power and those who put them there.
MICHAEL BALDRIDGE, Irvine
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