and the alliance of Boston neighborhoods has a good analysis of why Boston’s property taxes are so high:
http://www.abnboston.org/files/27805e66a50c5568c2e28d2035cfa188-36.html

I went to U. Pitt during the reign of Wesley Posvar, whose retirement compensation gutted the University coffers to the tune of tens of millions of dollars and left the institution struggling through the next decade (The next chancellor didn’t help; he spend over 6 figures to renovate his office before he even started the job).

Guess what Forbes Quad is now called! Wesley Posvar Hall!

We tend to rob Peter to pay Paul in our fiscal dealings, which is one thing fiscal conservatives are right to complain about. I’ll clarify the home improvement thing: if we are already spending money on our ailing power grid, and really looking for increased energy independence, then giving a 1-time break to older people for energy-saving improvements to aged houses is a solid investment.
The over 60 vote is the vote that kills Prop 2 1/2 overrides; old people vote, and younger people don’t. We’re lucky to see 60% voter turnout in this country, and because they make up a huge part of that voting electorate, seniors make a lot of our decisions. I think we need the override, at least in Beverly.
This bill has ALREADY passed, and Eisenthal critiques it for favoring wealthy seniors — and so do I, and so do you, apparently. So we’re not SO far opposed in our views.
I’m saying that if the govt. has to make concessions, they should be concessions that benefit the elderly citizens who NEED help — not just folding money for the already wealthy.

That aside, the elderly do often get tax breaks and other benefits that would also benefit the younger crowd. I’d really like to see heath care extended to the younger generation. Still, society does have a responsibility to take care of its members who can not work, and this strikes me as a pretty reasonable way to go about it.

It’s not practical to do what you suggest. We all pay property taxes assessed at the value of the home, not based on income or anything else. It seems like a terrible idea to me to mess with it.

I read your post. You didn’t stop there, I think you are also suggesting that the state / municipality give the elderly money so that they can make home improvements?!?

I’m against messing with the property tax structure at all, this coming from someone who probably takes the least amount back in city services vs. what I put in. Schools? Yeah. Buses to drive the elderly to the market? Yeah. Count me in on both.

I know I’m going to be old someday. I realize, too, that I may not be able to pay my property taxes.

If the difference between having a home and not having a home is a $4,000 property tax bill, I think the elderly person has bigger issues to deal with.

In the immortal words of John Silber, “When you’re ripe, it’s time to go.”

Okay.

I don’t have kids either, but I’m happy to support our schools.

People should be able to stay in their homes as long as possible in their old age. I guess it isn’t unusual that people have no compassion for the elderly, until they become elderly themselves. Old age is coming for us all.

All an override exemption does is freeze the rate of taxation for people who have lived in a community — and paid taxes — for a long time. It doesn’t exempt them from property taxes! Just from increases.

What sucks is that it ends up being really good to folks who don’t need the break all that much, and only so-so to people on the edge.