The Problem with Arbitrary Assessments—and a Call for a Fair Tax Act
I was talking with a friend the other day who thought he’d found some relief. Last year, after appealing his property tax assessment, he got a small adjustment, granted over the phone, no less. It felt like a win. But it was short-lived.
This year’s assessment wiped out every bit of that so-called relief. His value shot right back up, higher than before. It was as though the adjustment had been handed out just to quiet him down. And now, the system came back to collect.
What does this prove? That the process is arbitrary.
Not just frustrating. Arbitrary.
Arbitrary (adjective):
Based on personal whim or random choice rather than any reason or system.
Having unlimited power; autocratic.
The word itself comes from the Latin arbitrarius; “dependent on the will or judgment of someone.” That sums it up perfectly.
Look to Alaska law. Title 29 requires assessors to determine the fair market value of your property as of January 1st each year. But how, exactly, do you calculate fair market value without a willing buyer? You don’t. You guess. You estimate. You impose.
That makes the whole process not just flawed, but fundamentally arbitrary.
This is where the Fair Tax Act comes in. It offers a path toward sanity. Toward fairness.
Here’s the simple idea:
What you paid for your property becomes your assessed value, unless you can prove a lower number
Seniors 65 and older would pay nothing on their primary residence
Property assessments would roll back to 2019 values
And frankly, I’d be in favor of rolling back even further. Property taxes have ballooned with a voracious appetite since 2020. Let’s bring some order and fairness to a system that’s been anything but.
Because if we don’t stop arbitrary decisions now, we’ll keep paying for them later. Literally.