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Originally Posted by BroadHopper
Looks like you were not around back in the 80's when the state took over property evaluation to help equalize education payments among towns. This concept is still a mess today and the legislature is still scrambling after the NH Supreme Court shut down the current distribution structure.
Before this whole mess, the towns would appraise properties according to present use, residential, agricultural, commercial, unimproved etc. It made sense to tax the year round residence because they use the schools etc. And the seasonal will get a break.
When the state took over, appraisal is based on the actual RE value of the property, regardless of use. Farmers took a big hit and so did folks with unimproved lots and well as seasonal residents. That is why there was substantial sale of properties in the late 80's and 90's. Many folks could not afford their properties after seeing their property taxes quadrupled and more! Hence the 'view' tax debate by NH farmers in the days. One farmer in Gilford saw a six fold increase in his property tax only because the location of his property has substantial view of the Belknaps, Ossipee and White Mountains.
So Commercial properties and full-time residence who are also the tax payers are happy campers. They saw a big reduction in their property tax.
This is one reason why the current property tax structure is unreasonable. There is growing sentiment of a broad based tax such as the value added tax.
I don't know about Moultonboro, the town is unique as it has more lakefront properties than any other town. Back in the days, Moultonboro had substantial unimproved properties. Now there are very little,
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Actually, I was around in the 80's, having both a summer house and a residence. There was nothing, on my bill, that taxed one place more than the other. No one bill raised or lowered more than the other one.
I remember well the view tax debate, but it wasn't residence vs non resident owners, EVERYBODY got hit. There was an article of a selectman in a town being hit by a large "view tax", but he was blind... a big uproar.
Broad based taxes based on the old notion of a view tax or on the thought that taxes are unfair.... taxes will ALWAYS be unfair to someone, no matter how you slice the cake. We don't need the government taking a larger slice, which will happen with any tax law change.
Sorry, this probably needs its own thread, apologies to the OP.