LETTER: Tax increases should be decided by elected officials
Tax increases should be decided by elected officials
I am a fifth-generation fruit and vegetable farmer here in Washington County. My farm is my family’s only source of income. In 2017, the property taxes on my family’s farms went from $17,000 per year to over $40,000 per year. I could not understand this increase, since I had not made any major improvements or increased the value in any way. In fact, the value had decreased tremendously because Peters Township took my gas and oil rights away by banning drilling on and around my farm.
I have been appealing this increase for six years and have gotten nowhere. The appeals process is very time-consuming, expensive, non-transparent, and intimidating.
In the last few years, I looked into why this increase in my taxes even happened. Naturally, I started with my local elected officials. It turns out that the 2017 reassessment was a court order. I believe any action that changes the amount anybody pays in taxes should be enacted by lawmakers. That way, there will be public meetings, transparency and free speech on the subject. The court order that caused this reassessment was a judge legislating from the bench.
In the future, I hope all the local leaders in Washington County will consider the few farmers left here when it comes to tax increases, because high taxes drives farmers out.
Robert Simmons
Canonsburg