PA Homeowner Pays Property Tax Debt in $1 Bills
September 18th, 2013
For some homeowners, property taxes can be deeply frustrating. Many Americans work for years to pay off a home, only to lose it to an unpaid tax bill during tough times. The main objective of homeownership for most people is to provide lasting shelter and financial security, free of monthly rent payments after the home is paid off. However, local governments can and often will turn a paid-off property into a de facto rental home by boosting property taxes.
Fox News is reporting on a Pennsylvania taxpayer who took some extraordinary measures to send a message to his government. Robert Fernandes of Forks Township showed up at the local clerk’s office to pay his property tax in $1 bills. He owed $7,143 just for the school portion of his home’s property tax debt. He brought doughnuts as a peace offering in case any township employees were inconvenienced by his unusual method of payment. Check out the video of his protest below, and join us after the jump to talk about the specifics.
Robert Fernandes’ Children Are Being Homeschooled
It’s important to note that Robert Fernandes’ $7,143 tax debt was merely for the public school portion of his property tax payment. That sum is on par with private school tuition rates in many localities. However, Robert Fernandes chooses to homeschool his children, so he is not using that particular service at all. Noting that he has a family to take care of and his own financial worries, he engaged in his $1 bill protest in an effort to point out just how large his individual tax debt had become.
Taxes are often raised by politicians who characterize taxpayers as rich fat cats with unlimited wealth. For Fernandes, the $7,143 sum represents a year-long struggle to come up with funds to keep his home from being stolen by the government. By paying his tax debt in $1 bills, his goal was to put the amount into perspective for local officials and voters.
High Property Taxes Turn Paid-Off Homes into De Facto Rental Properties
Watchdog.org transcribed the following statement by Fernandes, “In the land of the free, which is supposedly where we live, you would expect that property rights were respected here, and obviously they’re not, because we are never truly property owners in this country. We are merely renters.” When property taxes explode in this manner, homeowners who paid for years to provide lasting shelter for their families sometimes wind up back on a financial treadmill, struggling to come up with tax payments that rival year-long rental costs in some markets.
Meanwhile, property tax assessors in many localities continue to assess properties at inflated values, ignoring the steep drops in real value that occurred during the 2007 housing crisis. All over the country, people are losing their homes as they fall behind on property taxes.
For pointing out the plight facing those who struggle to keep up with rising property tax rates, Robert Fernandes is this week’s Rebel of the Week.
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