“From a policy standpoint, if you want people to be paying attention to what their government is doing, you’ve frustrated that end by breaking the link between the homeowner/voter and government that’s taxing their property,” McCarthy said.
Property Tax
The Arizona Republic
Friday, May 10, 2013
The Arizona Republic
Friday, May 10, 2013
During the epic housing crash, property values fell by almost 50 percent in Maricopa County. Did property taxes fall a similar amount? Not by a long shot.
As homeowners clung to the idea that lower tax bills would be one small consolation of the bust, schools and cities and fire districts and hundreds of other government entities stared down their own financial crises in the five years from 2008 to 2012.
The Arizona Republic
Friday, May 10, 2013
As home values crashed after the housing bust, many property owners thought one consolation would be a corresponding drop in their property taxes. Why that didn’t happen is the subject of a four-day Arizona Republic special report, “Taxation Vexation,” that will publish beginning Sunday.
To prepare you for the series, here’s some background on the property-tax system in Maricopa County.
The Arizona Republic
Friday, May 10, 2013
As the owner of two houses in Scottsdale and one in Glendale, Walter Juessen probably knows more than most about real estate in Maricopa County.
Even so, he finds himself surprised by a property-tax system that seems to him at odds with common sense.
Two years ago, Juessen appealed the valuation of his Glendale house after finding that taxes on that property were proportionately higher than in Scottsdale.
The Arizona Republic
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Kevin McCarthy, president of the Arizona Tax Research Association, said widespread apathy about tax policy, from city budgets to school bonding issues, has helped create a system in which few people connect their voting decisions to their pocketbook.
The Arizona Republic
Monday, April 15, 2013
“The recession hit Arizona harder than nearly any other state, which could explain why the burden went down,” McCarthy said.
The Arizona Republic
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
“You may be seeing public debates (at Maricopa County) that you may not see in other jurisdictions for a couple of months,” said Kevin McCarthy, president of the Arizona Tax Research Association.
Cronkite News
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Kevin McCarthy, president of the Arizona Tax Research Association, which led the campaign for Proposition 117, said the ballot measure also will bring “dramatic simplification” to the current system.
The Arizona Republic
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Right now, Arizona has a complicated property-tax valuation system. Property is valued at market. That value is used primarily for the purpose of servicing debt.
The Arizona Republic
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Proposition 117 gives Arizona's voters a chance to clean up our property-tax system, making it more fair for taxpayers and more predictable for local governments.