Hacker News Reader

Comment by fortran77 | Hacker News Reader

I bought my Sunnyvale CA house in 1991. I pay $6,000 in property tax. The tax goes up 2%/year. I do not pay $3.50 in taxes. You are, quite frankly, a liar.

The median property tax paid by homeowners in NY State -- a state with no "Prop 13" is $5,865 (according to facts I just googled).

What, exactly, am I getting away with? How will increasing property taxes in a state with the highest income and sales tax solve the housing crisis?

They need to build more housing, and more dense housing.

I live in CA about 8 months/year, and spend the Feb-May in Tel Aviv. We're actively looking to move our U.S. home to Nashville, TN.

View on HN

Your Sunnyvale house is worth significantly more than the median house price in NY State. Your post confirms that Prop 13 is very good for long-term homeowners.

What are you getting away with? Paying less for schools and common infrastructure than your neighbors who bought in the last decade. They're probably paying 3X more tax than you are, right?

It's still a 3/2 house. An equivalent house on, say Long Island, would have lower taxes.

An equivalent house in Utah would have even lower taxes. So?

How much would you be paying if you bought that same house right now?

How will increasing it help? For one, it would have forced you to sell and move since you have limited interest in living there. You’re not entitled to live where you want just because you were born first. Property taxes specifically exist so that there isn’t a perpetual inheritance of land with no incentive to relinquish it.

> You’re not entitled to live where you want just because you were born first.

And you're not entitled to send men from the government to take my house. (As was done to my grandparents in 1929. See: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/history-of-jewish-settl... )

> in a state with the highest income and sales tax solve the housing crisis?

When I think of all the people living in their cars around Oakland, raising property taxes and pooling them into social services is something I favor. Highest income is misleading. Lots of people work retail or similar and will never own a home.

> I live in CA about 8 months/year, and spend the Feb-May in Tel Aviv.

I think this speaks to privilege. I’m not saying it’s unearned, I don’t know you. I do agree that more dense housing is badly needed.

How dare you talk about my "privilege."

You just described the real issue with prop 13. Partially occupied and investment properties by individuals.

The insanely low real estate tax increases over time make California real estate investments more appealing to small scale investors. Especially overseas.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com