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Originally Posted by MJP
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.
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.
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I also pay more than twice what the average home in the same town pays strictly because I own 100 feet of waterfront. No one I've seen said you don't pay more taxes for being waterfront, you do because your house is worth more but that's the system. NH has relied on property taxes for decades and those taxes have been assessed based on value for decades. Alton's 2005 tax rate was $10.27/thousand, take your typical older camp and put it onto the same size lot off the lake and most would be lucky to get $150,000 for them which therefore would make the taxes around $1500. No one would buy a 800sf house that hasn't been updated in 30 years for $600-800,000 if it wasn't on the water but those sell as soon as they come up and that's why that waterfront tax bill is $6000-8000. Either way you pay 10.27 per $1000 of assessed value. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it that property has increased in value over the time you've owned the property therefore the taxes have also increased.
Truthfully I wish all towns would go to allowing a lein to be placed in lieu of taxes(we have that in places like Portsmouth not sure if anywhere in the lakes region does this) for the older homeowner that could be paid off with interest when the ower dies or transfers ownership. As far as not being able to leave properties to future generations it's not up to the government to make sure thats possible, if they really want the property when your gone they can figure out a way to work hard to keep it. As you youself said "Some of us bought our places, commuted hours and hours a day and worked multiple jobs with long hours to be here", your kids and mine can do the same if it's something they want for themselves.