The land of taxes
The Feb. 12 edition of the Observer-Reporter had a story on Ohio Gov. John Kasich having a pet peeve with his state being termed the “Rust Belt.” While most of us know Ohio to be the Buckeye State and Pennsylvania the Keystone State, Pennsylvania was once called “The Land of Taxes,” and that still holds true today.
I have never seen a chart to show all taxes and fees paid in all fifty states, but I suspect Pennsylvania stands alone on this count. The tax on real estate is the most unfair tax. The assessment of a home or building for tax purposes is not what one sees, inside and out, but assessed according to a prepared software document, using the year the dwelling was built and taking into account its square footage, garage and other amenities. It seems to mean nothing to an assessor to see the condition of the inside of a building to determine its possible market value.
How much development does Washington County and most of its municipalities and school districts need in order to see a reduction of any tax? The reassessment didn’t help much if most taxing bodies are planning tax increases.
Joann Diesel
Washington