OPINION: Make sure you’re paying a fair share of tax burden

Published 12:05 pm Tuesday, May 10, 2011

It could have been coincidence that the Snoqualmie Valley School District’s latest, $56 million construction bond failed to pass muster at the polls just a week before first-half property taxes came due.

Then again, maybe not. Among the reasons for a solid rejection two months after a one-vote near miss, bond boosters speculated that tax exhaustion played a big role. For some parts of the Valley, they could be right. Assessed values in North Bend fell nearly 4 percent this year, in Carnation nearly 8 percent, and were flat in Snoqualmie. Meanwhile, tax burdens climbed. Snoqualmie residents will pay $359 more in taxes this year compared to last, while North Bend residents have an added $241 burden. Lucky Carnation residents pay just $21 more compared with 2010.

It’s a myth that falling values will mean lower property taxes. Values may rise or fall, but the amount you pay as a resident isn’t tied directly to values. Rather, what you pay depends on the total levy amount, the entire burden of state, county and local property taxes divided across the various taxing districts—school, city, park, hospital, fire. When those levies rise or fall, your property taxes do likewise.

About half of your property tax bill goes to the state and schools. Cities get about 17 percent, the county gets 18 percent. The rest goes to smaller districts like the Port of Seattle, ferry and flood districts, hospitals and fire departments.

Gimme a break

With all the angst over budget cuts and taxes, it was surprising to hear King County Assessor Lloyd Hara telling Carnation seniors to make sure they were getting the fairest burden.

After all, the county, like the state, cities and other public entities caught up in a structural budget crisis, had to cut $60 million to balance its books this year.

But, as Hara put it in a recent visit to the Sno-Valley Senior Center, he didn’t want anyone paying more than their fair share.

Hara was touting the county’s property tax exemption and deferral programs, which reduce or delay taxes for seniors, disabled persons or those who cannot afford to pay their taxes for a time. Under the exception program, seniors age 61 and older with an annual income of $35,000 or less get a tax break.

Hara asked the center’s lunchtime crowd how many people were aware of the exemptions. Only four people raised their hands.

Hara and his staff are right to spread awareness of the programs. More people need to know about them, so tell your friends, family and neighbors.

A fairer tax burden helps those on fixed incomes for whom property taxes can be a great burden. Taxes, like any expense, should only be borne when they can be afforded and paid. By easing the tax fears of the most vulnerable, we can rebuild a more fiscally healthy community—perhaps one where, someday, school bonds can hit that hard supermajority target.