There's A Growing Movement to Eliminate Property Taxes

Are our lands and homes really ours if we have to pay property taxes on them yearly? There's an argument to be made that we are simply leasing our property from the government if our continued ownership is dependent on paying these taxes; that we are, in effect, leasing our property from whatever level of government (usually county or here, borough) levies that tax.

There is now a growing movement to do away with property taxes.

As Tax Day nears, fiscally conservative leaders in several states are pushing to abolish property taxes, with one Pennsylvania lawmaker arguing that homeowners shouldn’t have to "pay rent" to the government.
That lawmaker, state Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon, spoke to Fox News Digital on Thursday ahead of his latest effort to end the collection of such taxes in the Keystone State.
Diamond will put forward a resolution — titled HB 900 — which Fox News Digital learned exclusively will be filed imminently. The document is a draft constitutional amendment he hopes will go to the voters on Election Day, and not a typical piece of legislation requiring gubernatorial approval.

Property taxes, in many jurisdictions, are primarily applied to the schools or other local government activities. So that raises the question, how to replace these missing funds?

In a recent post on his Substack, Diamond quipped that every time the topic comes up, "folks get all twisted into knots over how we’re going to pay for the things those taxes currently pay for — frankly, they’re missing the point."
"Boiled down to its very essence, fulfilling the promise of personal liberty is impossible if you can’t actually own a piece of real property," he said.

There are a couple of interesting things to consider here. First is the philosophical argument that Mr. Diamond brings up: Is your property yours, or are you paying a lease fee to the county for its use? This isn't the only matter in which the government interferes with property ownership. In many, probably most places, there are limits on what uses you can make of your property. Sometimes, it's the government, in the case of zoning laws, building codes, or environmental regulations. Sometimes, it's a voluntary agreement, like a homeowner's association.

Having to write a check to a government office every year, though, to avoid being kicked out of our homes, that seems a lot like we don't really own the property.

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Second, there's the "funding of essential services" angle. There are some things that local governments do that are legitimately distributed interests of the community. Around here, the borough maintains the local side roads, they fund equipment and training for the local volunteer fire and emergency services responders, and, of course, the schools. These things would have to be funded one way or another, and the local level is where this should happen; government always works best when it's as close to the citizens as possible. It's difficult, if not impossible, for regular citizens to sit down and talk face-to-face with their congressman or one of their senators. But your local officials? I've spoken to our borough rep. I know where he lives. I've taken gripes directly to the borough Mayor via email - and she responded.

In Florida, Governor DeSantis is also weighing in:

On the other end of I-95, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis posed a similar question in his State of the State last week:
"Is the property yours or are you just renting from the government?"
"You buy a home, pay off a mortgage — and yet you still have to write a check to the government every year just to live on your own property?" DeSantis said, noting Florida home values have surged and escalating assessments created a "gusher of revenue" for municipalities.

There will be resistance, but it's becoming clear that property tax reform is going to happen one way or another.