Letter: No tax relief in sight

Graphic by Lori Deaton

[Board of Commissioners Chairman] Brownie Newman says that if we give tax relief to businesses that have suffered from the pandemic, we would have to raise taxes on everyone else in order to maintain county services.

Too bad he didn’t think of that before he voted to give Pratt & Whitney $27 million in tax incentives. I guess I can’t count on a lower tax rate for my greatly increased property appraisal.

— Ken Jones
Swannanoa

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

3 thoughts on “Letter: No tax relief in sight

  1. Mike R.

    Citizens should push back hard against anything other than a “revenue neutral” tax rate change.

  2. North Asheville

    Citizens should push back against increasingly rising property values, which raise taxes on longtime property owners who did not realize any value from their increased property values. Limit rise in house value to inflation, and raise rate only to “market value” when houses changes hands.
    Time for Proposition 13 for North Carolina (or at least Asheville/Buncombe)

    Understanding Proposition 13

    There is a new generation of homeowners who do not understand Proposition 13 (Prop. 13) and how it affects their property taxes. Every homeowner in California, whether they purchased their home yesterday or in 1978, is protected under Prop. 13. Prior to Prop. 13’s passage, homeowners were at the mercy of real-estate market values. A county assessor would have to base property tax rates on fluctuations in the real estate market. Now, every homeowner has their property tax rate set at 1 percent of the initial market value, and any annual increase will be capped at 2 percent. The longer someone stays in their home, the lower their “effective” tax rate will be in comparison to its market value.

Leave a Reply to North Asheville ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.