Regarding "Tax protesters do better on their own" (Thursday Front Page), while it's gratifying to know that the little guy can do well when he goes up against the system, what is lost in the debate is why it is necessary to protest your property taxes in the first place. In the past decade that I've been protesting, it is a fact that property owners in Harris County get a reduction just for showing up. But if the county's appraisal practices were fair, how could this possibly be?
The answer is that their practices are not fair. HCAD consistently overvalues properties when the market is hot, always goes for the maximum allowable increase, and is very slow to offer any reduction when the market tanks. Only the tiny percentage who protest their appraisals get a fair shake, and everybody else gets milked.
The policy makers at HCAD and similar agencies across the country are supposed to be public servants, not the enablers of berserk government spending. Hopefully this article will be the first step in recalling them to their duty.
Pete Smith
Cypress
No comments:
Post a Comment
Friends - Let 'er rip!