Trump is at it again: in order to drastically lower his property tax payments, he says that his golf club, assessed by the county as being worth $14 million, is actually only worth 1/10th that: $1.4 million.
So now there’s going to be a huge investigation and brouhaha and an even greater waste of taxpayer money trying to untangle Trump’s lies.
I have a simple solution: the county should accept Trump’s value. And then purchase it from him at his own price, using eminent domain, and use the land to build housing for the homeless.
If Trump says the property is only worth $1.4 million, take him up on it. If he wants to keep it, he can claim it at being his actual price—and pay the damned taxes on it.
That should, in fact, be the standard law for all tax assessments: if anyone with a property assessed at over, say, $5 million, tries to claim it is worth less than that amount, any local or state government should be able to buy it at the stated value, and then either use it, or sell it on the market and recoup the profit.
scott L flurer
What was it assessed at all the prior years he claimed it? Did he pay taxes those years? He’s a shady character and we all know it! He’s using the banks to play his conman games.
Troy
heh, being a quasi-Georgist I totally agree about this taxation self-assessment.
I’d like to expand it to anyone wanting to buy the property but that would be problematical I guess so eminent domain is better.