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Skip · 06-03-2004, 07:45 PM

Careful reading of the Foster's article about New Durham (which has ample lakefront properties) reveals that the community has not been keeping it's inventories up to date and equally assessed.

Thus, when it tries to make up the difference in one year, vast swings take place. That is why more communities like Dover update on an annual basis to provide fairness.

Remember, it is not the assessed value of your home that causes taxes....it is the money spent by the community that causes taxes (and causes taxes to rise).

If the rest of the homes away from the lakes were paying taxes based on average assessed values of 80% of actual value while lakefront properties were only being assessed and levied on 25% of their actual values, then the lakefront properties were being subsidized by the inland home owners.

And therein lies the rub, the inability of many NH communities to levy the property tax burden across the entire property spectrum in an equitable manner. Unfortunately, the poorer the community is, the more unlikely that it is able to assess property values fairly.

It is unfortunate that the primary source of revenue raised to operate local community governments is often so often misunderstood by the folks that have to pay it.

Knowledge is power, and in this case knowledge is (your) money!

06-03-2004, 07:45 PM	#11
Skip Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Dover, NH Posts: 1,615 Thanks: 256 Thanked 514 Times in 182 Posts	New Durham article..... Careful reading of the Foster's article about New Durham (which has ample lakefront properties) reveals that the community has not been keeping it's inventories up to date and equally assessed. Thus, when it tries to make up the difference in one year, vast swings take place. That is why more communities like Dover update on an annual basis to provide fairness. Remember, it is not the assessed value of your home that causes taxes....it is the money spent by the community that causes taxes (and causes taxes to rise). If the rest of the homes away from the lakes were paying taxes based on average assessed values of 80% of actual value while lakefront properties were only being assessed and levied on 25% of their actual values, then the lakefront properties were being subsidized by the inland home owners. And therein lies the rub, the inability of many NH communities to levy the property tax burden across the entire property spectrum in an equitable manner. Unfortunately, the poorer the community is, the more unlikely that it is able to assess property values fairly. It is unfortunate that the primary source of revenue raised to operate local community governments is often so often misunderstood by the folks that have to pay it. Knowledge is power, and in this case knowledge is (your) money!