Not that actual facts will dent the local spend everything and spend it now crowd, but the Tax Foundation has just dropped a ranking of counties by property taxes paid that conclusively shows that Mecklenburg County is not a low tax county. Nor is it, according to 2007 Census Bureau data, one of the nation’s highest property taxing counties. Yet. Mecklenburg lies right in the middle of 788 counties with populations greater than 65,000.
The median property tax paid on homes of $1880 is in line with the overall U.S. median of $1838, and good for 327th on the list. Taxes as a percentage of home value is also right in line with the U.S. median of one percent. Even property taxes as a percentage of income is in the ballpark, coming in at 2.6 percent compared to a national median of 2.9 percent.
The trouble is that the Uptown crowd looks at places like Westchester County (N.Y.) and Bergen County (N.J.) and figures that it is perfectly normal for folks to pay 7 or 8 percent of their income in property taxes. Or failing that, Mecklenburg should at least be able to bump its number up to 5 percent. Geesh.
Bonus Observation: York and Lancaster Counties are well down the list behind Char-Meck. Union, Gaston, and Cabarrus are bunched together a little below. Hint hint.
