Quote:
Originally Posted by Sue Doe-Nym
Please explain in detail your statement that "Seasonal property owners are an easy target because we don't vote.." What specific examples can you cite? You own a property in one of the lowest tax towns/cities and you feel you are being discriminated against. If what you say is true, I strongly recommend you file an abatement, go to Superior Court, and you will be richly rewarded.
You and many others (seasonal and year round) seem to be suffering from a huge persecution complex. Be honest, would you sell your property for more or less than the current assessment? Moltonborough attempts to keep ALL properties - NOT JUST THOSE OWNED BY NON-VOTING TAXPAYERS - at market rates.
Hope this does not come on too strong, but the constant b....... gets a little tiring for those of us who live here full time and make an effort to see that the town operates as best as economically possible. And no, I am not a town official, elected or otherwise.
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Pardon me...I own a home on an island in Alton. I would hardly say that my taxes are low, in fact they are substantially higher than they are for my permanent home in PA. What do I get from Alton for my tax dollars: no police service or no fire service in a time frame that will be of any help, can't send my kids to the schools, no sewers, no sidewalks, no water, no garbage, get my electrical from Wolfeboro and I can't even vote on the budgets. Although I can't say for sure, I would venture a guess that nonresidents pay a substantially higher share of the overall taxes in Alton than residents.
I had previously proposed on this forum that the non-bridged islands in the Lake band together, secede from their towns and counties and form their own with their own tax base, not sure how practical that is. Maybe instead I should propose that Alton provide a lack of services discount to non-bridged island properties - oh, that's right, I can't do that because I am not a resident. Taxation without representation - wasn't that something I had heard was an issue addressed in New England once before?
I have no issues with the way the towns are run, New Englanders are notoriously frugal and I am sure the tax dollars are being spent wisely. I just think that I am paying a disproportionate share of the town's taxes. Oh, and although my house is assessed for what it could have sold for 2 years ago - I doubt it would sell for that now. Considering the economy, how could my assessment have gone up this year?