Here's a way to scare away new residents and anger old ones.
Christine MacDonald of the Detroit News reports that Detroit is over-assessing homes by an average of 65 percent.
The result: Higher tax bills.
MacDonald reports:
In the first public examination of its kind, The News reviewed Michigan Tax Tribunal cases of Wayne County property owners appealing tax bills. The analysis found the administrative court reduced Detroit property values at a far higher rate than neighboring communities and nearly 50 percent more than the county average.
The appeals process favors landlords and businesses: Only 15 percent of tribunal decisions from Detroit involved owner-occupied homes, The News found. While more than half of the city’s residential properties are owner-occupied, critics and state experts said many are deterred from pursuing state appeals because the process is complicated and time-consuming.
