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Originally Posted by ossipeeboater
they are not assesed at a higher rate they are taxed on the value of thier lot which is affected by view and ownership of watefront. I know towns play some games with this increasing values far more dramatically on the lake versus inland but the fact is very few lakefront homes are tax assessed for more than their value to people really can't complain. Sure it stinks that the taxes are high and people can't afford to pay them but you don't see people complaining that the camp they bought for $25,000 back in 1975 is now worth $850,000. You can't benefit on the appreciation side and not expect to pay more in taxes.
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First of all, you clearly come from Ossipee, not Alton, so apparently you don't have your facts clear. Yes, our rates are affected in Alton by having land classified by the tax assessor as "waterfront". No, I'm not complaining but my objection was just that the earlier poster's facts were not correct and neither are yours.
Just for "yucks" let me add this, however. We get NO public services where we live and yet we do pay higher taxes. I even had a policeman tell me once when I had an accident on our road and had to call him here, (yes, this is a quote I remember well), "We hate to come down here. This road is so difficult to get through." Now, we happen to like it that way, but folks that don't know the road have difficulty with it and apparently that applies to our police. But, the point is, we even have to pay extra, beyond our taxes, to get a plow to come through here. We get no town water, town sewage, or even town protection unless we call 911 for an emergency. Even then, they often make it very difficult to get someone to come...but that's another long story.
I'd love to leave my place to my kids, but they've told be it's hardly worth it as they know they won't be able to afford to pay the taxes. As I said, I'm not complaining; I love where I live. I can manage to afford it right now, possibly not in the future, but for now I can. We are not, however, all rich and arrogant. Some of us bought our places, commuted hours and hours a day and worked multiple jobs with long hours to be here, and now pay through the nose to live here
because we love it. That being so, we want to protect the quickly disappearing natural surroundings as well as our intended way of life. And, I don't see anything wrong with that.
Also, all of you who think we should just "live free" and let anyone do whatever they want should also know that many of us bought our land and homes long before snowmobiles and PWCs were ever even invented. So, stop scolding me for not living somewhere more secluded; I thought I was when I bought. As for the rising value, it doesn't help me any. I can't spend it or even afford to pay for an equity loan to make the money available. Yet, I still have to come up with the money for the escalating taxes, I think often disproportionately, and live on a pretty much fixed income that doesn't even come close to keeping pace with inflation.
All I ask is that you all stop making generalizations about things you know little about and try walking in another's shoes for a while...The End.