Proposition 58 Property Tax Transfer
Most Californians favor Proposition 13 & 58. And it’s worth pointing out that California Proposition 13, also called The People’s Initiative to Limit Property Taxation, voted into law as an amendment of the Constitution of California – is, after 42 years, even more popular today as it was when Californians voted it into law on June 6, 1978. (Interestingly enough, the same date memorializing the Normandy landings, D-Day on June 6, back in 1944.)
As a matter of fact, CA Proposition 13 was championed early on, and driven successfully through numerous political obstacles, by the famous Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association… whose courageous and inspired CEO, Mr. Jon Coupal, took over the Chief Executive reigns in 1999, and is largely responsible for leading the charge for accelerated property tax relief in California… right up to the present.
With financial analysts now telling us that Proposition 13 has saved California taxpayers over $528 billion saving the average middle class California family more than $60,000 to-date… and counting – it’s no wonder at all that most Californians favor Proposition 13 & 58! In fact, as Mr. Coupal and his Taxpayers Association tells us, Prop 13 has made everyone’s property tax in California more reasonable. Click here to learn more more…
Yet even though a majority of home owners in California still support Proposition 13, and Proposition 58 – which has, since 1986, enabled home owners to transfer real property from parent to child, and vice versa, without beneficiaries being reassessed for present day tax rate increases, discussed here, in various posts, within this blog. Or, click here for more info and Q & A on Proposition 58 (and 193)… there is still a stubborn minority that opposes it… such as special interest politicos in the pocket of certain powerful people in the real estate business or public employee union bosses, some independent realtors, several ill-informed academics, and a few mainstream newspapers like the SF Chronicle and LA Times with an interest in big-bucks real estate advertising.
Generally, the opponents of Proposition 13, and Proposition 58 home transfers avoiding property tax reassessment… typically are after more cash from tax payers in California, especially some folks in the real estate business, and are still laboring under the long-held, dragged through the mud misconception that there would be more cash coming into the real estate business, and into state coffers, were it not for the lack of present-day real property value reassessment associated with Proposition 13 and Prop 58… directly affecting California tax revenue. Even though accurate data shows us that the California state government benefits from Proposition 13 just as much as tax-paying homeowners do from the lack of tax reassessment, allowing them to never pay more than a 2% increase in property taxes.
Let’s take a quick look at the actual state tax data. Overall revenue going to local government entities from property taxes throughout California was nearly $5.0 billion in 1978 to 1979… and by 2010 to 2011 real estate tax revenue was at $49 billion per year! An increase that is two and a half times the rate of inflation over the same period, furnishing California local government entities with a very robust stream of real property tax revenue.
On the human side, away from the economics of the issue, folks in California, prior to Proposition 13, before 1978, were seeing elderly neighbors, friends and senior relatives, being forced from their homes as egregious real property tax increases spiraled out of control — and in some areas literally doubled from one year to the next — as older friends and beloved elderly relatives living right next door on fixed incomes, could not meet these unfair tax increases and were cruelly pushed out of homes they had been living in, and raised families in, for over 40 years. neighbors were being forced from their homes.
After Proposition 13 was voted into law, Californians saw right away the benefits of a tax system that would limit annual tax increases to 1% to 2% max, and began to provided a stable system for everyone in California – from government agencies that depend on property taxes, to people like seniors and other various middle class home owners… turning what had become a dreaded system of out of control real property taxes – into a fair, predictable tax system year to year – no longer a financial nightmare for those who happened not to be wealthy, living on modest or fixed incomes.
Nonetheless, those opposing this most popular tax solution called Prop 13 by Californians, still continue dragging the same old tired arguments through the gutters and broken down political avenues used by real estate executives, politicians and newspaper editors to put forth their old, discredited arguments in Op-Eds and widely debunked opinions in Editorials, in the few newspapers that will allow them the space to air out their opinions — despite the fact that everyone knows most Californians favor Proposition 13 & 58. The critics are tone deaf.
We present these issues objectively in this go-to free resource blog for people interested in Proposition 13 and Proposition 58 property transfers…. For those keenly interested in learning more about how to avoid property tax reassessment, and how to keep parents’ 1% to 2% property tax limits safely in place in California, out of the reach of irrational opponents… For those of us who want to know more about parent to child transfer and parent to child exclusion; about trust distribution loans, avoiding property tax reassessment, proposition 13 transfer, and how to keep parents property taxes and how to effectively transfer parents property taxes. And for those home owners who wish to educate themselves further on the subject of inheriting property taxes, property tax transfer, real property tax transfer or real estate tax transfer.
If these interests, and additionally related topics, describe you – then you’re in the right place. We welcome your opinions and comments, and we’ll add your text comments or audio/video commentary, if you have something new, valuable, or unique to add to the discourse here.