October 4, 2009
Tax Foundation Senior Economist Gerald Prante Quoted in New York Times Article on Property Taxes
"As Property Taxes Become a Real Burden, Can Backlash Be Far Off?"
By Peter Applebome
The list from census data isn't all that surprising, but there it is.
Westchester County, No. 1. Nassau, No. 2. Hunterdon and Bergen in New Jersey, Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.
And so it goes. Of the 10 counties in the country with the highest median property taxes, every one is in New York or New Jersey. ...
Gerald Prante, an economist with the Tax Foundation in Washington, said at least people feel they get something tangible from their local taxes and can tolerate them if they believe they're getting what they paid for. "If I told you I spent $40,000 on a car, it doesn't tell you much unless you know what kind of car," he said. "If it's a Lamborghini, it was probably a good deal. If it was a Saturn, it's not such a good deal." Thus, for all the angst, the fact that most local school budgets still routinely pass indicates we might be more likely to grumble than to cut close to home.
The problem is that many suburbanites who bought the luxury car a few years back now can barely afford the Saturn.
