Assessments Today Are Just Taxes in Disguise

Since the enactment of Proposition 13, opponents have found a variety of ways to circumvent the will of the voters. The new method of increasing taxes is through assessments.

Assessments are in addition to your property tax, which is limited by Proposition 13. There are at least 19 different types of assessment districts. What is common to most is that those who pay do not always have the opportunity to vote on the assessment or to register a meaningful protest.

Assessments were once for capital improvements (such as sidewalks), which are a direct benefit to a particular parcel of property. However, assessments now have come to mean that property owners pay for services that do not directly benefit their property.

Assessments today are nothing more than thinly disguised property taxes. Taxpayers generally first learn they have been “assessed” when they see it on their property tax bill.

It is no wonder that the government spenders prefer assessment districts. Once an assessment district is in place, the money “assessed” frees up revenue that is frequently used by local officials for their pet projects.

On Aug. 30, the county Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to set up a “community facilities benefit assessment district.” This will impose a $28.50 fee on all property owners in both unincorporated areas and cities that join the assessment district. This may not sound like a lot of money, but when it is added to others, it can add up to hundreds of dollars.

There is nothing to stop the future creation of unlimited new and overlapping assessment districts. Any present or future local agency can tag property owners with additional assessments. During the 1991-1992 year, California had nearly 5,000 assessment districts. Look at your property tax bill. You probably have five or six special “assessments” tacked on to it.

A bill recently passed both houses of the Legislature and is on the governor’s desk which would allow any city or county to set up a benefit assessment district with majority voter approval. This contradicts the two-thirds vote requirement mandated by Proposition 13.

Our country is strapped for funds because the state transferred billions of dollars from the counties to Sacramento; taxes have increased on business so tax revenue has decreased in our community, and taxpayers are leaving the state in droves while welfare recipients increase. More taxes are not the answer. The answer is in ending this fiscal lunacy.

JAMES E. ROGAN, Sacramento. Rogan represents the 43rd District in the California Assembly.