12/06/2024
Curious of anyone’s thoughts on this proposal. I have warned my clients about uncapped property taxes. When estimating property tax on one home for clients the taxes went to $10,349/year which equals $862/month 😳 what do we get? Where does our money go? These are questions that you can give a blanket answer to.
By Riley Connell
Published: Dec. 5, 2024 at 6:29 PM EST|Updated: 13 hours ago
LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - It’s one part of home ownership that many people dread: paying your property taxes. But voters in Michigan could soon have a say in getting rid of them for good.
The group behind this proposal is one step closer to putting it on the ballot. Members of AxMITax argue property tax is too much money wasted by homeowners, that’s not being used effectively.
“You’re paying for a lot of things that could be paid through consumption,” said AxMITax Founder Karla Wagner. “If you want to go to the zoo, pay admission. If you want to go to a museum, pay admission. It shouldn’t be on your property tax bill. It should be a choice.”
Additionally, Wagner said her citizen-led group is working to end property tax to reduce the number of foreclosures that come from nonpayment.
Wagner’s proposal was approved by the Michigan Board of State Canvassers on Dec. 2, which solidifies things like proposal wording and format. Now, it’s time to collect signatures.
“We have 180 days to collect all the signatures we need,” she told News 10. “We need roughly 470,000 clean signatures, which means our goal is 600 to 650,000.”
It’s the next step for Wagner, but while she works to garner the support of Michigan residents, some living in Mid-Michigan aren’t sure they’re on board.
“Taking away the property taxes, I think, everybody would love to do that, but I don’t think it’s a good idea,” said Lansing Township resident Thomas Garza. “They’re going to get you somewhere else and it’s probably going to hurt more.”
AxMITax members also believe that property tax should be eliminated to stop forcing residents to pay for services that they may not take advantage of themselves. But Garza said he doesn’t mind paying if it means helping someone else.
“I know there are some things that I pay for in taxes that I don’t use, but we’re a community,” he said. “We need to help each other and spread the wealth.