Nearly half of Detroit property owners failed to pay taxes last year
The News reviewed more than 200,000 pages of tax documents and found that 47 percent of the city’s taxable parcels are delinquent on their 2011 bills. Some $246.5 million in taxes and fees went uncollected, about half of which was due Detroit and the rest to other entities, including Wayne County, Detroit Public Schools and the library.
Delinquency is so pervasive that 77 blocks had only one owner who paid taxes last year, The News found. Many of those who don’t pay question why they should in a city that struggles to light its streets or keep police on them.
“Why pay taxes?” asked Fred Phillips, who owes more than $2,600 on his home on an east-side block where five owners paid 2011 taxes. “Why should I send them taxes when they aren’t supplying services? It is sickening. … Every time I see the tax bill come, I think about the times we called and nobody came.”
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And the taxpayer’s only protest will result in the confiscation of his property for not paying up.
Of course who would want to buy anything there.
But the point is, none of us own our property.
NONE OF US. Private property (at least real estate) is a FANTASY.
What really are a property tax payer’s recourse?
Nothing bcs they steal it from you if you don’t pony up what they tell you to pony up every year.
Badger40 on February 22, 2013 at 8:33 AM
That’s not the way it’s supposed to work – you pay the taxes, and someone else gets the benefit. Get with the program!
OldEnglish on February 22, 2013 at 8:33 AM
But Cass Sunstein has said repeatedly that Americans love to pay taxes and almost never avoid them. This is weird.
visions on February 22, 2013 at 8:34 AM
Nope. I won’t say it. It’s too easy.
Doughboy on February 22, 2013 at 8:34 AM
“Pay Yo’ Damn Taxes!”
SAZMD on February 22, 2013 at 8:35 AM
Detroit could try militarizing the blighted neighborhoods, like some are suggesting in Chicago:
^Witness the endgame of the Progressive ideology…
Don’t think it can happen in America, Lefties? This is your side advocating militarization.
visions on February 22, 2013 at 8:38 AM
Check out Christine MacDonald‘s (author of this article) twitter feed.
IT GETS WORSE!!
BigGator5 on February 22, 2013 at 8:46 AM
What happened to Obie’s stash of money we were told about??..
Dire Straits on February 22, 2013 at 8:56 AM
Scary article.
What a frightening place they have come to. And they don’t see it as a problem, sending in the National Guard.
WOW.
Badger40 on February 22, 2013 at 9:05 AM
Debt Spiral. People just give up and the whole system collapses.
Which big city will be next?
WisRich on February 22, 2013 at 9:11 AM
They should let it collapse. No bailouts. Let them file for Bankruptcy. Void out all the union contracts and eliminate the pensions. School vouchers for the whole city.
Start over. It’s the only chance they have.
WisRich on February 22, 2013 at 9:15 AM
Cut off their welfare checks and turn off the heat. Michigan would be a nice state if you could force the people of Detroit to move elsewhere. I think the federal government should create a welfare reservation in New Mexico where people could move to and have free food, housing and drugs while giving up their voting rights. I think enough people would go for it so that you could fix some of these extremely progressive cities.
Buddahpundit on February 22, 2013 at 9:16 AM
Buddapundit, why MOVE them? What you’ve describe is how Detroit is NOW. Put a wall around it and you’re done.
michaelo on February 22, 2013 at 9:25 AM
You’re sounding like you’ve had a really bad week. I hope Friday is better to you.
Knowing about the taxes, though, there is an opportunity. Pay the taxes and take adverse possession of the empty spaces. Do it intelligently, with your new property including a safe route to a freeway. Then wall it off, build a planned community*, and entice people to move in. Once you have some density, incorporate as your own city. Yeah, I know, it’s a pipe dream, but I do still dream.
*My planned community includes a semi-public gun range.
GWB on February 22, 2013 at 9:27 AM
In the article, homeowners are letting their house go into foreclosure and when goes up for auction, they buy it back for pennies on the dollar and NO tax liablility.
WisRich on February 22, 2013 at 9:34 AM
There is that darn pesky “47 percent” number popping up again.
NeoKong on February 22, 2013 at 9:35 AM
I guess I have no idea what you are talking about, unless you are referring to my outrage over property taxes. Bcs I do talk about it a lot when the subject is raised.
You never own anything when the government has a law saying if you don’t pay them their protection/services $$ they are going to confiscate it & sell it to the highest bidder. That’s not owning anything.
That’s not me having a really bad week. That’s me outraged over this fantastical notion people have that they somehow ‘own’ their property.
As far as planning a community, we ranch. We have no interest in a planned community.
I want the tax $$ I do spend to be put to better use. And time & again my county people say it’s not their fault & that the state makes them raise their rates. And then you go to the state & they say it’s the county’s fault.
What I do know is that taxes are way out of hand everywhere & the growth of Fed & State govt is ridiculous everywhere.
I’m not trying to be crabby, but in reference to your 1st statement, I just have no clue WTH you’re talking about.
Badger40 on February 22, 2013 at 9:59 AM
Sort of a reverse flip? Be fun to go there and drive up the bidding. Bwahahahahah!
GWB on February 22, 2013 at 10:00 AM
When it comes to property taxes where I’m at, land is at a premium bcs the Federal govt is paying farmers so much they will outprice what the land is really worth to make a living at in Agriculture.
So as ranchers, we are stuck. Our property taxes for simple pasture land are much higher than other counties surrounding us & we are never given an answer why.
People in ‘charge’ just shrug their shoulders.
And then I watch my screwl I teach in waste $$, get told to deficit spend so they can beg for more $$ from the State Legislature, & then they raise my taxes 30% all at once in an oil rich soaked state with huge surpluses & a growing Republican dominated state government.
It’s insane everywhere.
Badger40 on February 22, 2013 at 10:04 AM
You just sounded extra bitter. You normally have a bit of cheer or hope underlying everything you say. No insult was intended. I enjoy reading your comments.
As to not wanting to live in a planned community, you certainly don’t have to! I think it would be an interesting experiment, if handled with the proper respect for freedom and choices. Of course, I would need to have a few billion burning a hole in my pocket, first……
GWB on February 22, 2013 at 10:07 AM
I didn’t think you were trying to be obtuse. Thank you.
I try to be cheerful. But it’s hard when you see your state flush with cash & wildly growing the govt & then your county raises taxes bcs they say they don’t have enough $$ to do things, yet they are wasting $$.
It’s hard for us to pay our taxes.
Ranching doesn’t have big profit margins.
So I guess I get pretty worked up over it sometimes.
Badger40 on February 22, 2013 at 10:17 AM
47%
Washington Nearsider on February 22, 2013 at 10:18 AM
Oh, but you must, you must!
Bob's Kid on February 22, 2013 at 10:37 AM
I not sure it’s the same where you are, but our county’s social services contribution to overall social services in the county eats up 60% of their budget.
The problem isn’t about keeping street lights on, sewers running or streets in good repair. Little of it has anything to do with property services or homeowners related services. It has mostly to do with non-stop growth in entitlements which the State and Feds create and then require others to pay via mandates because both found another deep pocket to tap with the added benefit for the blame for the rising costs could be dumped on someone else.
The hilarious part about it, in the cynical sense, was when the rise in property taxes began really getting taxpayers mad, the state came up with a program of lopping a portion off, so the County still took the blame for state mandated high county taxes, but the state was now their saviors for reducing them.
Dusty on February 22, 2013 at 12:24 PM