Think your property taxes are high, check these out.

We pay just over $200 for 73 acres, no farm exemption, 1940's 3br house & barn. I'm not about to complain! We might not have a ton of services, but my town has a school and a library and "city" water. My in laws live in a rural county in PA have 20 acres and a newer 3 br house & garage and pay almost $4000 per year! And they have less services than me

That gives the average taxes, but unless I missed something, there is nothing about the tax rates or the average property values. Without knowing what the value of the homes that these taxes are on, this is meaningless.

We pay $2,300/year with a 3 bedroom house on 3 acres.

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The more people I meet, the more I like my chickens

No your still missing it. [kindly and without evil intent here just friendly chat]

People compare mil-rates, but even that is meaningless.

Each area's local tax assessor office looks at your property values and makes it's assessment. Some areas the assessment runs about even with the market value of the property. Other areas the assessment runs well above the market value. and yet other areas the assessment value runs far below the market value.

The assessed value is just a method for the tax assessor's office to directly compare properties within a county, that is all it is good for.

I have owned homes where it was 'valued' at market value. I have owned a home where all homes were valued way above market value. And yet others where all homes are valued far below their market value. So you see, even the tax assessed 'value' of a home is only a useful number within a county comparing other houses inside that same county.

Now if you assessed high, with a low mil-rate, then your taxes could be the same as my house with a low assessment and high mil-rate.

The end result is that we can not compare assessed values [outside of your home area], and we can not truly compare mil-rates either.

I have a home in the 'city' [Connecticut] market value is 250k, assessed value is 150k. 3 bedroom in city, between schools, police department, fire house and two casinos are very near by. I pay $5,000 taxes.

I also have a home in the country, market valued is 35k, assessed value is the same. 2 bedroom on 42 acres mostly forested with riverfrontage. No school, police, fire houses, and no employers nearby. I pay $47 taxes.

So is there like one guy living in Ocomoncomocococnwowococwoc Lake, funding the entire town by himself or something?

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LOL

I find that being in an 'un-organized township' is the greatest thing of all. It is on the maps, so no nearby town can grow and absorb you. And yet you have no mayor, no tax assessor, no body on a pay-roll.

The tiny portion of taxes that would normally go from a town up to the state, is what gets put on us here in 'un-organized townships'.

The state provides trooper coverage, and the forestry service provides fire coverage, the Post office of the nearby town delivers mail, and the state pays the school a tuition for my chidren to attend.

Assessment of Property Tax Intelligence (APTI Test)
http://www.riverjournal.com/cgi-scri...ne&id=285&op=r