Taxing Rooms With A View In New Hampshire

Homeowners Rebel Against A State Tax That Evaluates A Property's Scenery

(CBS)  It's no secret that local governments are always trying to locate new sources of revenue. As CBS News correspondent Trish Regan reports, in some places, they're targeting location itself.

These days home owners in New Hampshire are discovering just how much their view is worth – in tax dollars.

John Chandler owns 40 acres in the small town of Hill, and he says in the last five years his property taxes have jumped 10-fold.

"I don't own that view," he says, looking out toward the mountains. "I own the house, I own the yard, but I don't own the view."

At issue, views where you can see everything from New Hampshire's Franconia Notch to Mt. Washington. The state says this is worth something, but residents call it a view tax.

New Hampshire's David Bischoff built a one room hunting cabin with no power, no water, just an outhouse.

And a "200,000 dollar view," he says.

Tax assessors say it all started with good intentions – to show the public how property is appraised. Forms were revised to include a separate line that allowed assessors to place a distinct value on a view. But that transparency has sparked a tax revolt led by New Hampshire tree farmer Tom Thompson.

"What is a view?" he demanded at one recent public meeting. "Tell me what the definition of a view that assessors in the state of New Hampshire use."

The state insists that a view has always, always been part of fair-market value.

"There is no separate view tax," Phil Blatsos, the commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration says. "The view is rolled into the value of the property because it's what people are paying for the property."

They say the problem is as simple as this: in recent years, property values have skyrocketed and with higher values come higher taxes.

Thompson, for one, doesn't buy it.

"It's a gimmick that assessors have come up with to come through the back door and stick their hands deeper in your pockets and extract more tax dollars for the municipalities," he says. "That's what it is, folks."

In a state that prides itself on having no income tax and no sales tax, any talk of tax is bound to cause controversy.

[sherlockzz]

By law, NH property tax system is based on a property's value. If a property is worth $300,000 because it has a highly desireable view (to buyers)and another property is only worth half as much because it does not have a view, why should the lower priced property subsidize the higher priced one by paying the same tax bill?

There's a street in my town that has magnificent views at the top of the hill. Lots sold for $35,000 at the bottom of the hill and as high as $120,000 at the top. The sale prices actually increased as you went up the hill. It's easy to see the value of those views. What would the $35,000 lot owner say if the taxbills were the same?

Again, these are taxes, not fees. They are based upon value not whether or not you have kids in school or use the dump. Those property wealthy people have a vested interest in keeping an orderly, civlized society. They have more to lose.

Besides, the problem has arisen because wealthy out of state people are coming to NH and driving up the prices of view properties. Not assessing views would make this problem worse. If they're overpaying for these properties now, wait until they find out they can buy these views tax free. The appreciation will be enormous.

[michellem99-2009]

I am a New Englander by birth. I live in the west.I have SAY to what good is a view if you can't see it. This is not joke. I am legally blind. We once tryed to rent a place years ago in CO state the lady went on and on about this/that the tenets pay f/t view. What! We were turned away. The reason was My white cane. No they would not put it in writing. I can't see the view any way so it would be unfair to pay for it as I can't see to enjoy it. I do feel that taking care of the land should be done for health and safety reasons not just a view to rip people off. I truly miss the land of my birth. It is costly to live everywhere, Every state has pros and cons. They riot here in USA in case you forgot. It not just abroad.

[leansright]

I can't believe some of the posts I'm reading here. Mr Chandlier said his taxes are going up 10 fold and there seem to be some who would say he is avaricious for resenting this? I live in an upstate NY community with a similar problem. I might remind some that our taxes are being slowly pirated from paying for services, to paying for entitlements.

For example, the biggest single expense for our county has become Medicaid. Nothing even comes close anymore. Our generous safety net is attracting newcomers from downstate NY and from out of staters. These people seem to be coming here to gain benefits and, incidentally, to raise my property taxes to pay for them. If I say something, I'm called greedy, or a hater, or that a tax decrease will endanger Sheriff protection or street repairs.

I'm not trying to accumulate more and more. I have 13 acres on the outskirts of town and I have owned it for 27 years. If my taxes go up, I want a good explanation like, fuel prices for the snow plows or for new Sheriff patrols or an addition to our Community College. If my taxes go up so my new county neighbors can be paid to not work, I intend to yell and scream.

It's not hate, it's resentment and there's a difference.

[sherlockzz]

The properties are assessed at what they are selling for. The towns don't collect a single extra dollar by assessing views. It just brings the view properties and the non-view properties to the same level of market value. The amount collected is fixed by the voters at town meeting. If the views were not assessed, the wealthiest properties in town would be assessed for less than what they could sell for and everyone else would pay at a higher tax rate to make up the difference. It's not a question of services. These are taxes, not fees. Taxes pay for civilization. Those with more to lose have a vested interest in maintaining the civilized society.

[tuckerndfw]

So a person who owns a home with a nice view needs to pay more for those gov. services than the person without a view?


Posted by Griking at 08:02 AM : Mar 12, 2007

The presumption is the ability to pay. A person living in a multi-million dollar mansion would presumably be able to pay more than a person living in a cardboard box.

It is amazing how the more people accumulate, the more avaricious they seem to become.

I cannot imagine how someone living on property valued at hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars can in good conscience claim they should not pay more than some guy living in a shack next to a garbage dump.

[darkfyreaol]

How do you place monetary value on a view? Who is to decide how much a view is worth? Is any price slightly higher than the rest of the market considered 'fair'? If that's so, a $200,000 property could easily rocket to a million or so, if that's what property owners wanted - but, in most cases, they intend to live on those properties, not sell them. They paid a fair price for those properties, and I can't understand taxing them even more and calling it fair.

[scurbiedog]

The state and local governments are becoming nazis and can do what they want and all we do is sit back and take it.Just say BAA!!! They appraise your home at such a high value knowing that thier just doing it to make themselves money.I think we should make a new law that if a county or city appraises your home at a high value you should be able to put it on the market for that price and if it doesnt sell for that price in a year the county or city by law will have to pay you that price and take it off your hands.Make them acountable for the out right theft that they commit every year by appaising homes so high.Evey year it gets worse and worse,local governments coming up with outlandish laws and taxes to be able to give themselves raises and company cars or other things the people pay for. We left England for less. They do it to us because they know we cant go anywhere and we can stop them because the law protects the govenment not you and I.They are lucky we are not like some europeans, they riot and go nuts when thier government makes them mad!

[griking]

So a person who owns a home with a nice view needs to pay more for those gov. services than the person without a view?

[zootallures2]

I don't think taxes are that big of a deal. It's not like I'm taxed to starvation or something. The biggest problem in the world by far is war and killing. We need to stop this. "Thou shalt not kill". And we need to stop leaving other humans in such poverty where they are starving and sufferering. This current zionist and neo-con sadism is evil, backward, and completely insane. Where is some one to take over the air waves and ask all you humans *** is wrong with you?

[tuckerndfw]

Property taxes are generally based on property value, or "fair market value."

Property value is not determined by an appraiser, it is determined by a buyer.

If these people do not want to be taxed based on "fair market value," then they should be required to offer their property for sale at whatever price they think it is worth.

And, pay taxes on that price until the property is sold. Which would probably be less than 12 hours.

People who want government services and do not want to pay for them are as bad as welfare leeches (able bodied people collecting welfare under false pretenses).

These tax protestors are wasting tax dollars with their idiotic protests.