[Regarding “Buncombe Inches Closer to a Property Tax Hike,” May 2, and “A Balancing Act: Asheville City Council Members Discuss Potential Property Tax Increase at CIBO Meeting,” May 7, both Xpress: ]
A yearly $240 increase in property taxes is certainly not huge on paper, but for landlords, especially those with multiple properties or tighter margins, this can easily lead to rent increases to offset the cost.
Considering that around half of Asheville’s population rents, even modest hikes like this can have a noticeable ripple effect on housing affordability. Definitely something worth factoring into this piece!
— Malcolm Berman
Asheville
2 thoughts on “Letter: Tax increase could raise rents”
But, obviously, if the rental unit is worth about the same as the private home taxed $240, and the landlord simply passes through the cost, it would mean $5 per week. Not exactly a huge rental cost, assuming the renter garners the benefits all of us do from enhanced local government services.
That’s the kind of logic that results in distrust of current and former politicians.
Higher taxes will increase rents. And since most of us pay such bills monthly, it is $20.
It’s $20 on top of an already absurdly high tax rate, compared to our nearby neighbors.
Last, the “enhanced local government services” is simply absurd.