Stop the Property Tax Madness!
Join us Tuesday, September 13th, 4pm at City Hall room 317. At this meeting, BET (the Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation) will set the maximum tax levy and hear comments from the public.
TELL CITY COUNCIL PROPERTY TAXES MUST NOT BE RAISED!
The mayor has said he intends to recommend a 2% increase. Have our properties appreciated 2% since last year. Absolutely not. Property taxes are down 10.8% this year in the Twin Cities, and with higher unemployment, people have even less money to spend. Why are they asking us to buy more city services? How do they expect us to afford this?
Minneapolis property taxes have risen about 8% annually for the past 9 years. Cumulatively, that's over 100%. Currently, long-time residents on fixed incomes are being taxed out of their homes. Even with the (lower than original) 4.7% increase this year, sources in the city report that 26% of owner occupied homes will continue to see increases between 12.5% and 15% over the next two years. This is unacceptable. If the residents of Minneapolis do not stand up and object to annual outrageous tax increases, City Hall and its associates have our tacit approval to continue increasing taxes indefinitely. We can't afford it. When the assessed value of our homes goes down and people have less money, the tax increase must be 0% or less. But, demanding lower taxes alone won't solve the problem.
Many are frustrated with the mayor and their council members, but at the heart of our problem lies the coercive and unresponsive nature of taxation itself. The economic situation in Minneapolis has simply changed faster than our local government could possibly respond. This has been true at the state level as well. When conditions change suddenly, past promises become unrealistic with no legal or prudent mechanism for adjustment. Worse, under duress, destructive decisions are made (albeit with the best intentions) that beholden taxpayers without their consent. It is a fact that all legitimate government power derives from the consent of the governed. As more tax dollars are collected from objecting taxpayers, we watch our local government grow less voluntary, and thus, less legitimate, which is a serious concern. History has shown again and again that when governments begin to lose power, they grow more dependent on force and coercion rather than less. It doesn't have to be this way. Opposing a descent deeper into reliance on force is the spirit of voluntary community service. The charitable spirit of Minnesotans has been a great benefit to all of us for generations, and we need to remember that this spirit cannot be forced or legislated. It needs to come voluntarily from the people themselves. In order to protect the integrity of our neighborhoods and our city, it is up to us to initiate smart, realistic, responsive solutions that depend on voluntary means rather than coercive ones. We must reject the temptation to resolve problems with money acquired through taxation. We need not hurt one person to help another. With organization, creativity, and a spirit of cooperative community service, we can solve our problems without kicking anyone out of their homes. It's just how we do it here in Minnesota. We've got work to do.
minneapolistaxpayersunited@gmail.com
