47% of Detroit property owners don’t pay their taxes

Monday, February 25, 2013

Nearly half, 47%, of Detroit property owners did not pay their property taxes for 2011, reports the Detroit News. On 77 blocks only one property owner paid his or her taxes.

The numbers in the News story show the fiscal cost. Detroit has a city government that is at one and the same time expensive (a 2.5% city income tax) and ineffective -- a literally lethal combination. It's likely that Governor Rick Snyder will appoint an emergency fiscal manager to take control of the city government; he has already done so for the Detroit Public Schools.

Posted by paneocon at 11:47 AM | 25 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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paneocon

Joined 2008/11/02
Visited 2013/05/24

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Hmmm where have I heard that 47% figure before? Oh yah

"There are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what ... who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims. ... These are people who pay no income tax. ... and so my job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives,"
Mitt Romney

#1 | Posted by paneocon at 2013-02-25 11:50 AM | Reply | Flag:

Half of Detroit property owners don't pay taxes

News analysis finds $246.5M in taxes went unpaid last year

Detroit -- Nearly half of the owners of Detroit's 305,000 properties failed to pay their tax bills last year, exacerbating a punishing cycle of declining revenues and diminished services for a city in a financial crisis, according to a Detroit News analysis of government records.

"Why pay taxes?" asked Fred Phillips, who owes more than $2,600 on his home on an east-side block where five owners paid 2011 taxes. "Why should I send them taxes when they aren't supplying services? It is sickening. … Every time I see the tax bill come, I think about the times we called and nobody came."

Detroit relies on a shrinking sliver of businesses and neighborhoods to pay the bulk of the bills. The three casinos, General Motors Corp., DTE Energy, Chrysler Group LLC and Marathon Petroleum Corp. paid 19 percent of collected property taxes. Five city neighborhoods, most of them downtown and along the river, paid 15 percent of the city's taxes and represent only 2 percent of the city's total parcels.

From The Detroit News: www.detroitnews.com

#2 | Posted by paneocon at 2013-02-25 11:53 AM | Reply | Flag:

When compared to Romney's 47% comment....this isn't even a fair sample.

These folks are the property owners....not exactly a sample of the general population.

But it's no surprise. And the guy using his excuse that "nobody came when called" is nice. He's acting as though it's the cities fault he doesn't pay his taxes.

#3 | Posted by eberly at 2013-02-25 12:01 PM | Reply | Flag:

OMFG, did you realize that "Delinquent property taxes create a serious cash-flow problem for Lancaster County Pennsylvania" (www.taxlienuniversity.com).

Call the police, ring the fire department, drag out the National Guard, scramble the USAF!!!!!!! The fookin' sky's fallin'!!!!

#4 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2013-02-25 12:05 PM | Reply | Flag:

#4 | POSTED BY DOC_SARVIS

Good point which is why Lancaster County sells the properties. After 50 years of Democrat rule no one wants any Detroit properties.

To solve this cash-flow problem, the Lancaster County Tax Collector sells Pennsylvania tax deeds on properties located in Lancaster Pennsylvania to winning bidders at the Lancaster County tax sale.
When you buy tax deeds in Pennsylvania, you are paying someone else's delinquent property taxes. In exchange, Lancaster County conveys title to the real estate to the tax deed purchaser.

www.google.com

#5 | Posted by paneocon at 2013-02-25 12:13 PM | Reply | Flag:

Um Doc, every county lists and sells property taken due to deliquent taxes. Now, if you can show Lancaster PA has a 47% deliquency rate........

#6 | Posted by eberly at 2013-02-25 12:13 PM | Reply | Flag:

Tax sales are a great way for the city to get the money, sooner or later. When a 2 year tax bill is more than the total value of the property, there is little incentive to want to keep it.

#7 | Posted by autonomous at 2013-02-25 12:14 PM | Reply | Flag:

"When a 2 year tax bill is more than the total value of the property, there is little incentive to want to keep it."

Unless you have nowhere else to go. I hate property taxes, makes you a renter. Tax those with the income to pay, not the unemployed, the poor, the ill.

#8 | Posted by danni at 2013-02-25 12:20 PM | Reply | Flag:

I imagine many if not most of these properties are empty.

I don't know how expensive property taxes are in Detroit....but considering the very low value of the property itself???? It has to be fairly expensive.

#9 | Posted by eberly at 2013-02-25 12:23 PM | Reply | Flag:

After 50 years of Democrat rule no one wants any Detroit properties.
#5 | Posted by paneocon

Really? As is so often the case - remember your "armed intruders" debacle yesterday? - you're wrong: www.co.wayne.mi.us - as a "for example."

You ought to wear some sort of body armor when you come to the DR, seriously.

#10 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2013-02-25 12:33 PM | Reply | Flag:

These are the same properties that the left demands big banks write mortgages on. In fact Dodd Frank mandates such. Anti red lining on steroids.

What a great idea!!!

#11 | Posted by DavetheWave at 2013-02-25 01:13 PM | Reply | Flag:

#10 | POSTED BY DOC_SARVIS

Wayne County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,820,584 making it the 15th most-populous county in the United States. And you think 10,000,000.00 is significant?

remember your "armed intruders" debacle yesterday?
#10 | POSTED BY DOC_SARVIS

I think you need to double down on the ginkgo biloba, or lighten up on the gin.

#12 | Posted by paneocon at 2013-02-25 03:15 PM | Reply | Flag:

Assuming the 47% claim is true so much for renters being bad people when compared to property owners.

#13 | Posted by Tor at 2013-02-25 03:20 PM | Reply | Flag:

47 does seem to be a magic number in the realm of taxation.

#14 | Posted by MSgt at 2013-02-25 04:44 PM | Reply | Flag:

I hate property taxes, makes you a renter.

No, it makes you pay your fair share. EVERYONE should pay taxes as we all use the same services. If you don't pay taxes, you should get services. Period..

#15 | Posted by boaz at 2013-02-25 06:51 PM | Reply | Flag:

EVERYONE should pay taxes as we all use the same services.
#15 | POSTED BY BOAZ AT 2013-02-25 06:51 PM | FLAG: RINO!!

#16 | Posted by ClownShack at 2013-02-25 06:57 PM | Reply | Flag:

"No, it makes you pay your fair share."

A few years ago my daughter was billed around $10,000 in property taxes while her next door neighbor was billed around $2500. Why? Because Homestead Exemption prevented taxes from rising fairly with property values. It's simply a stupid and unfair system of taxation and it puts anyone's home at risk should they become ill and unable to work even if there is no mortgage. That isn't how we should finance the government. If you pay for a piece of property it should be yours, we can find better ways of taxing to finance our government and let you own your property, pass it to your heirs and keep it in your family.
When you think about it, taxing real estate isn't much different than just taxing wealth.

#17 | Posted by danni at 2013-02-25 07:45 PM | Reply | Flag:

"EVERYONE should pay taxes as we all use the same services."

So a 100 year old woman shouldn't call 911 when she falls and can't get back up. MOre brilliance from Boaz.

#18 | Posted by danni at 2013-02-25 07:46 PM | Reply | Flag:

No Danni, I'm speaking of working age people..

#19 | Posted by boaz at 2013-02-25 08:01 PM | Reply | Flag:

News analysis finds $246.5M in taxes went unpaid last year

Well, it's obvious that taxes must go up to make up for this shortage.

#20 | Posted by Whizzo at 2013-02-25 10:04 PM | Reply | Flag:

#17 Coming from the person who has consistently DEMANDED higher taxes. Quit your b!tchen, pay up. Or move. Gees the bleeding heart libs want everybody else to pay higher taxes.....just not their own taxes.

#21 | Posted by DavetheWave at 2013-02-26 08:22 AM | Reply | Flag:

Pay your fair share dribble

#22 | Posted by DavetheWave at 2013-02-26 08:23 AM | Reply | Flag:

" Quit your b!tchen, pay up. Or move. Gees the bleeding heart libs want everybody else to pay higher taxes.....just not their own taxes."

I pay all of my taxes, income, property, sales, etc. I just think property taxes are a bad way to raise revenue, actually lots of folks do. Lots of people fall on hard times and lose properties that have been in families for generations. Another problem with taxing property hit Florida pretty hard, when property values fell so did revenue, I now pay a small fraction of what I used to. Of course though, my home is not worth what it was previously either.

#23 | Posted by danni at 2013-02-26 08:31 AM | Reply | Flag:

"Pay your fair share dribble"

You really are one of those angry white men that are a disappearing breed. Good riddance.

#24 | Posted by danni at 2013-02-26 08:32 AM | Reply | Flag:

Gut check Danni. Who is the one crying about unfair taxes? That would be you. How do you twist that around to me? Only the holier then thou elitist lobbies can cry about their taxes, then somehow blame others for their suffering.

As I said, shut up and pay up you disingenuous debater.

#25 | Posted by DavetheWave at 2013-02-26 09:39 AM | Reply | Flag: