Why Don't the Numbers Add Up?

Why don’t the numbers add up?

The published numbers for the proposed “metropolitan park district” claims the cost to us taxpayers will be $95 dollars a year. We're not sure where these numbers come from. What numbers we do find don’t match what’s been published.

The numbers used  are for a tax of 44 cents for each thousand dollars. However, the measure has a full tax rate of 75 cents per thousand. Which means that the tax can be quickly raised. That means the mythical “215,000” house has a tax of $161.25. Not “$95.”

Now, for the mythical $215,000 house. We say “mythical” as we found no such number on our search. The Pierce County website has the average assessed value of a house set at $233,806. Interestingly, the value of the same average house in 2008, before the recession, was $360,059. It’s wise to keep in mind that our house values will go up in the future. More value, more tax.

It seems more accurate to use the current value of $233,806 with a tax of 75 cents. That gives us an annual tax of $175 dollars. Were the market to rebound to 2008 values, then the tax will be $270 dollars a year. That’s every year, forever.

Now we can play around with numbers forever. What seems clear is the tax wouldn’t be $95 dollars. Keep in mind that this is an additional tax on top of the all the other taxes we pay. Plus it won’t go away.

By the way, the tax increase we were hit with this January will cost each household, on the average, $700 per year.

As we said, the numbers don't add  up.

Next time “Plan, plan, everybody’s got a plan.”