Letters from our readers

To the Editor:

In defense of Proposition 13 criticized by Dick Selzer in his column (Friday Dec. 17) I respectfully offer the following. Prop. 13 was passed because California real estate property taxes based on the value of property increased exponentially due to climbing property values. Many seniors who purchased their homes at much lower prices were no longer able to pay their taxes. I remember one couple who purchased a duplex to supplement their income in retirement and now faced inability to pay their taxes because the wife had to quit her job in order to care for her disabled husband.

Commercial property is handled differently and benefits many business owners, but that’s another story. For the loopholes for business check out past columns by Thomas Elias in the Journal.

Mr. Selzer claims that the property taxes are unfair because people who bought their homes recently pay more taxes than people who have lived in their homes many years longer. I would respond by pointing out that at least newer buyers know ahead of time what their taxes will be and that the increases are limited at a set rate whereas before Prop 13 people never knew if their taxes would skyrocket from one year to the next.

He also maintains that because house tax increases are limited to 2 percent a year, they have not kept up with the cost of government services. Not true. In California houses sell on average every 5 years, at which time they are reassessed according to the new price. Therefore, because of climbing property values, the government should be receiving more, not less income.