S.T.O.P.

KDKA TV Report Demonstrates Property Tax Injustice

In a two-part series KDKA TV investigative reporter Andy Sheehan revealed some of the injustices of the property tax system in Allegheny County.

After the county has had two complete reassessments of all county properties at a cost to the taxpayers of over $40 million dollars, higher priced homes are often taxed at considerably less than their value, and lower priced homes are often assessed above their value.

Sheehan and Mike Suley, former member of the Allegheny County Assessment Board, studied 100 higher priced homes that sold recently. 98 out of 100 were under assessed, some at half or just two thirds of what they sold for, —meaning that 98 out of 100 owners of the homes priced from $ 250,000 to several million dollars were paying thousands upon thousands of dollars less every year than they should have been paying. One owner paid $14,000 less per year. Another paid $ 8,000 less per year.

This means the more affluent home owners pay less than their fair share of property taxes to support schools, county and municipal governments, and those owning much more modest homes pay more than their fair share.

Even more disturbing is that the lower income homeowners are losing their homes to sheriff sale based on the over-assessments. In other words, faulty assessments and over-taxation are robbing these individuals of their homes.

County Executive Jim Roddey said he knows there are still some problems in the assessment system among the ‘high end’ homes, but the system is much improved over what it was when he took office.

His opponent in the November election for County Executive, County Controller, Dan Onorato said that after the county has spent $40 million dollars to try to fix the assessment system, “we are right back where we started.”

Bob Logue of S.T.O.P. (Stop Taxing Our Properties) said it is repugnant that our county government over-assesses poorer citizens’ homes to the point that they cannot pay the taxes, adds huge interest charges on the unpaid taxes, and then sells the homes of elderly couples, widows and widowers, single parents, young couples with children, veterans, the disabled and other persons based on the faulty assessments.

"Not only does this corrupt system and those operating it sell the homes of these lower income citizens, they take all the equity the homeowners have built up in their homes, and then destroy their former home owners’ credit for between 7 and 14 years because the liens are placed on their credit records,” Logue said. “For any elected official to defend such an unjust and corrupt system is despicable."

Logue concluded, "Under the Allegheny County assessment system, the rich get richer, and the poor get homeless."

Visitor Comments:

Pat Dowling says :
I am a 58 old single woman, who has lived in PA all my life. I love PA, but what is going on with the Property taxes and our wonderful leaders giving themselves between 14 and 56% raise is the most selfish thing I have heard in along time. They do not care for anybody but themselves. They are all lawyers and make alot of money doing favors for big business!!!!! I get a raise each year between 1.5 to 2.5%, which I am mighty greatful for. But my raise goes to the property taxes that go up 3% to ?. I never had any children and I really do not like having to put almost $400 a month in my escrow account just to pay property taxes. I try to live within my means, but the way it is going, I will have to sell my house that I love when I retire because I will not be able to fork over thousands of dollars to pay property taxes for the rest of my life. I hear that Gov. Rendell wants to put a freeze on property taxes for senior citizens, it is a little late for that, they are being charged thousands of dollars, which they can't afford now and they are losing their homes, so what is a freeze going to do for them???? The Politicans needed a wake up call, we all put out cloths the same way, so they need to look around at all the senior citizens, the middle class (which does not exist anymore), the poor, the children and say "these poeple need help" and help is not giving themselves a big fat raise. I will work probably until the day I die, for what, to keep the school districts and politicans fat and wealthy. I could go on, put voicing your opinion never seems to make it get better. Thank you.
Anonymous says :
This report is ABSOLUTLY true.
Look up the Howard Hanna or Northwood real estate website and pull up Mt. Lebanon properties for sale, and cross reference them with the County Website for their assessed value. THESE HOMES ARE SELLING FOR 3X-4X TIMES THEIR ASSESSED VALUE!
And this isnt going on in just Mt. Lebanon, its EVRYWHERE!
Most Highend homes are GROSSLY underassessed, as are homes that have sold within the last 3-4 years. This info. is easily accessible via the internet, so I cant figure out whay people arent OUTRAGED and the media isnt picking it up! I dont know whether to scream or cry...

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