Why Pay Detroit property Taxes, I Ask?

[belleislerunner]

haha. My point was everyone is entitled to have a position [[you can be against someone paying their property taxes, or against raising taxes to pay for roads or whatever the casue du jour may be) - but until there's a new solution proposed that fixes the problem - you still have the same problem and it's just ranting.

[mwilbert]

If no one wants to buy a house for $500, then arguably it isn't worth more than $500, and even in Detroit the property taxes should be less than $25/year. If your house isn't worth $500, I would suggest that not paying your property taxes makes a lot of sense.

The problem here isn't really people not paying their taxes, it is that there is too much property in Detroit that is nearly worthless, so the appropriate level of tax is very low, and there is an assessment process that doesn't reflect reality, which leads to people ignoring it, and leaves the city with no plausible sanction.

[iheartthed]

The problem here isn't really people not paying their taxes, it is that there is too much property in Detroit that is nearly worthless, so the appropriate level of tax is very low, and there is an assessment process that doesn't reflect reality, which leads to people ignoring it, and leaves the city with no plausible sanction.

Yes, all of this.

[Bham1982]

Green Acres, at least in terms of architecture and aestethics, is a very attractive neighborhood.

If homes can't even be sold for $500 in Green Acres [[the same homes that would go for 300k-400k a few miles up Woodward, and in very high-tax jurisdictions), then the situation is borderline hopeless.

[softailrider]

If no one wants to buy a house for $500, then arguably it isn't worth more than $500, and even in Detroit the property taxes should be less than $25/year. If your house isn't worth $500, I would suggest that not paying your property taxes makes a lot of sense.

The problem here isn't really people not paying their taxes, it is that there is too much property in Detroit that is nearly worthless, so the appropriate level of tax is very low, and there is an assessment process that doesn't reflect reality, which leads to people ignoring it, and leaves the city with no plausible sanction.

Totally agree with that last paragraph. A complete catch-22 situation.