I thought all taxes were unpopular so I am not sure why it is news that property taxes are unpopular. The Pew Charitable Trusts on Wednesday released States Grapple With Unpopular Property Taxes. The real news in the article is the push to repeal some property taxes and the arguments for and against repeal.
Proponents argue the property tax is an antiquated and unfair tax. The argument goes that people on fixed incomes, such as the retired, can ill afford the higher property taxes that come with higher rates and with higher assessed values. Interestingly, in PA one proposal is to replace the school property tax with higher income and sales taxes. But aren’t we hearing that income and sales taxes are “job killers” and “regressive,” respectively?
Advocates for the property tax say “it is a relatively ‘good’ tax, since revenue from it is controlled locally and pays for things like schools and public safety that people can readily see.” They also argue it is less subject to wide swings for sales and income taxes that drop precipitously in recessions and soar in recoveries.
If you are interested, give the article a look.