At Week's End; 615; Taxes, taxes, taxes

the pope this has been this has been seen since at zenith is an un is saying the taxes that in mexico these days if you're rich and powerful enough at least you can avoid paying your fair share of taxes and for hundreds of thousands of mexicans the elderly the poor even the middle class taxes have become a deadly matter

join us on this special edition that we'd see and hear the new mexico legislature as we discuss property tax reform and what just may be the opening salvo of a genuine tax revolt here in new mexico fb are many newcomers new mexico is the land of enchantment but for native new mexicans this land is their land it is home and has been for generations however keeping the land has often been a struggle chris rios grew up in new mexico after serving his country in the military forty years ago he returned home and buy this property now retired korea's hopes to pass it on to his children but that may be difficult in his property taxes continue to skyrocket if it keeps on what we're open to lose their homes because i'm on a fixed income you don't have

enough money do it to continue to face that says that's why i'm fighting for these property practice against them because it is really hurting many of us people that been in santa fe all our lives mr rios was used to his property taxes going up but we shot this november when he nearly doubled exceeding his modest monthly income it took him months to pay it off grocery us is not alone in the last decade property taxes for some are five times higher than they used to be mr rios brought his land in the fifties he says there were no houses in the area today it is a crowded neighborhood of new and gentrified homes as the value of property is gone up so have its taxes but many say new mexico can't afford to lower property taxes testament to provide police service fire service road maintenance everything the county does comes primarily from that source really in santa fe county for instance nearly a third of its total revenue comes from its property taxes and what is a slight pay

for more than half of it goes in the senate is public education system but many argue the property taxes are aggressive which means that people of low income pay a larger portion of their incumbent a wealthy property owners citizens for tax justice a community group say it's time for a fair tax system they say in nineteen ninety people in the lowest per capita income or paying twice as much as those in the highest per capita spain thirty percent of your income to fill the tax would kill anybody and that's it in a nutshell it's killing as gonna kill me and for other people to in the near future at these rates keep going up adding to the problem is unfair property assessment for both residential and commercial properties the santa fe county manager says the law requires him to assess property current market value unable for the candidate to watch some properties get assessed while others go on recess for years one example the summit accuse the water company is currently valued at thirteen million but a recent outside appraisal estimated its value at forty forty four million that's a difference of thirty one

the seventy one million dollars that goes untaxed responding to the concerns about unfair property taxes legislators any lopez and amazon are trying to change the law are several hospitals hostile twenty five proposes to assess property at current market value only when it's being bought or sold the bill also provide what's called the tax ruled that this would increase property values to what they were in nineteen ninety and the point on the property value would only increase in marginal rate because they assessed property values would go down taxes will also go down and it would be fair right not necessarily citizens for tax justice a bit because the law affects only how property is assessed and not the tax rate it would still give the biggest threat to wealthy property owners because they make more they save more also as property values go down so would revenues and city public france carrying those with low incomes who are most dependent on public money further they say that to make up for the loss in revenue counties can still raise property

taxes on their own this would hurt those whose property value hadn't done much since nineteen ninety and therefore wouldn't be rolled back as much but whose property taxes would go up so legislators have introduced a second bill house bill nine sixty five citizens for tax justice support this bill and say it is more equitable the bill creates what's called a graduated transfer tax this lets counties ticket revenues from high price properties and transfer that money to a tax credits for those with lower incomes who can't afford their property taxes unlike house bill twenty five this bill would not cut revenue but for cruz videos at the heart of what may seem a complicated issue are the simple things in life a home the history of culture and if the people of new mexico don't understand how their government collects and spends its money they may be the very victims of its own failing tax structure we're here in the senate finance committee hearing room in the new mexico legislature where three people who have been in the midst of the property tax reform fight in this session gloria mendoza

is a lifelong resident of law sienna day ended senate say she's a member of citizens for property tax justice a senate say advocacy group but isn't it ben lujan a democrat of santa fe county is a principal cosponsor of the house bill twenty five now substituted by house committee and a house bill nine six five they are the main property tax reform measures before the mighty ninety three legislature and chris moore is a researcher at the santa fe institute in santa fe he's also an active for member of citizens for property tax justice thank you all for for joining us here at the end of a long day at the legislature let me ask you first reason an igloo on what this bill was going to do for people are hurting out there you know us some families have experienced as much as a five hundred percent increase in their property taxes are elderly people are losing they're called was because they can no longer pay the tax man and what will this bill do for for those people

whether they think about the low income tax bill first we have to be a little envious the house tonight sixty five okay with charm and really addresses so low income our people some of the county and certainly are the elderly would fall in that same category but it now also this provides our credit for low income people regardless of age and what it does is the rights of the colony to have an election to have a meeting to be cyclical and officer our creditor not end at that point in time are they will have to set up a criteria or by ave can give a credit directly to the low income our parisian themselves this meeting will have to be advertised down and local newspaper and radio so hopefully that will come out and express a feeling that that the entire we feel that dr sanders

upset of the individual some probably tax maybe credited the band the income of the invasion so this could save the homes literally and so these people who are now about to lose their houses or to new interim mosque think a lottery but other counties opposing you on this they didn't they'd been devouring taxes surfer proper you know for a long time haven't i they are i think seen to being nothing in it too much because we offer to transfer tax along with the same i'll get that they may offer we offer them an opportunity to have a construct out drescher tax on new property sound that dumb idea of exchanging hansard seven so i think that will make up <unk> basra area in the afternoons gloria mendoza let me ask you is this going to be part of a larger effort to make the new mexico tech system more equitable of an igloo on hopes this will help poor people some of them many of whom are elderly arm is this a blow

for tax justice in the state more roger allam this is just the beginning that i think about a band has armed you know done well by are jumping on the issue and i think that there still needs to be a lot done in awe they're still your corporate taxes corporations need to be taxed or to an odd to twenty years behind on the assessments of that bob beatty barrow i have one assessor est assessor who does the assessments he said it would take fifty two years to assess them they need to be assessed they need to be taxed and then maybe we could get some of that money to what are our education we have elderly people in the state are paying lower proportion of what they are today then some of these large corporations they are now we have a gentleman here in santa fe who brought on the assessment of the departed small and down they

are defined as small as paying like three dollars a square foot he is a neighbor their lives are right they're obvious the street and he brought he is that he's paying five dollars a square foot on his property and that's where we're finding the injustices part and part of a larger system of injustice which shoe which goes to the heart of that their taxes to chris moore may ask you if you were on the other side and i realize that you're in in support here recently was bill but if you're on the other side what what loopholes would you like to find in this legislation what would fall could you find what it is it is it really going to address the need here well our current was very much a supporter of this new bill haas film and sixty five the one we've just been talking about the kinds of low income credit but it does also as he says pay for it by giving each candidate option to transfer tax but has the tax code for the bill was not very much it's only detection two percent or less on but ice suppose if i was a real estate

developer even that might upset we are i think the other thing is that if you're gonna bring revenues in a lot of people this year really concerned very just with programs like the public schools if you're gonna bring revenues in and you go to protect the poor there's only one way out of that uninsured a project the portuguese give them a break because they're being taxed unfairly either you're gonna let the revenues fall or you are going to bring in other revenue and that means of course heard from corporations or from people in the upper income brackets i think this need those really good because with a transfer tax what you're doing there is that the people who are coming in buying houses were syria hundred four hundred five hundred thousand dollars less to second home buyers and retirees are putting a couple percent on that brings in revenue and using that to give the people who've been here all their lives or less wealthy newcomers a break so i'm not sure how i would argue against that but i wonder

if you dont run the risk of letting the old system know takeover yet if the counties do not exercise their full responsibility and there really is a shortfall and revenue here are we gonna find up or people being being put on in some other direction some other lady all will there be a movement out of this say to raise gross receipts tax which is already a regressive tax in the state where there is a big problem because new mexico depends on gross receipts tax is more than most other states and especially i mean it's pretty much the same as a sales tax and there you are putting a tax on things like food and milk and necessities those kinds of taxes hurt the poor very hard on when we were studying this overall problem we found that property taxes were hurting the poor proportionately morrison the rich but gross receipts tax has to be honest almost a bigger problem for many people go on and i think in next year's session you may find groups like ours as well as many other groups coming forward proposals to move away from things like gross receipts that hurt the poor and move

toward income taxes and corporate taxes the place the burden more so on those who can pay local governments can't not increase our gross receipts taxes they'll have their initial opposition to increase <unk> that would be a poll taxes so they stay distance even a proper taxes whatsoever unless the kids it's a bond issue that the people have imposed themselves alert for operation get off on purpose as a state doesn't see once an hour for a pretext it all goes to local governments and dow well there can't be increasing gross receipts so you know you're confident there weren't any any major loopholes in this way in this in this tax bill at least the nine sixth author have to it's going to be up to the people they will have every year the impulse to sell or put in place this song about the attacks they'll have to have a public meeting

is going to be up to people i'll let coriander chris to roll up the troops and make sure that they're at the concussion means industry <unk> allow the lone complexion the world and english was selection process are only likely to get out are real and gnashing of teeth and crying in the night here about the shortfall for schools or shortfall for other for other county services and after all you are you're threatening a tax base here which has been secured stable for a very long time that yes there's a transfer here which will compensate but you know these counties cities counties are as i said earlier they're hungry or i where we live only get out of this again a different a different set of tax in a different direction but again now to roger the operation nice of them old school system where it doesn't come from our property taxes that comes from now but added revenues from the state level the only our money is it come to the school districts that are done they liked our

new small business on their bond bond indebtedness and there no levee that of a impulse upon themselves and it's also it can be used for operational to be used for our impermanence and maybe some buildings so the county should be behind this and and certainly certainly citizens groups that the majority of mexicans are we are we are one of the lower property tax data were also one of the poorest states in terms of income or repetition or increases from real estate we're not yet but damn them through committee and that's funded i'm assuming that they will probably be a source for the story about say us about these sub on elections are you know that when you have a bond elections that is the time where you have the lowest amount of people going out to vote and that will these bond

elections and wonder slash journalist comedy barnes is six there were on their end up i'm trying to get people to where they become aware of some of these things where they're getting taxed some of them don't even know why and these bond elections are very important in is so important there's a bond election going on to read what it is that's got involved a lot of people don't love well you take a community college football's ok when the community college had their bond election is are people worked at the community college very few i would say you know probably out of about a hundred we probably got like five or ten people from the community to go out and vote on that but it's the great paradox in the people complain about taxes they defeat politicians as representative lou on those who tried to raise taxes are you know george bush gives a pledge no new taxes et cetera et cetera yet they

pay so little attention to who really pays the tax bills here and how tax policy is made art you are frustrated by siva public ignorance and indifference in this field really is a life and i feel so much that it's ignorance i think it's odd that we are in our gut our government has taken for granted that these people are not going to go out there you know they have a bottle action they should have that when there is election for same ear county commissioner you know city council whatever to bring adjust and are like six brought in by issues ann and bring them in and just have to just for that means oregon will definitely not a difference i think that as we educating ourselves in tried to educated people in the public along about this whole issue with on our souls and in the tax system is incredibly complicated and that all happened to be any lawyers or any legislative experts in our

group we were pouring through all these laws in or the language in these bills it's very complicated site of the issues cited for people who aren't let me ask you're presented lew i don't want you to take the responsibility for all your colleagues here but arm why hasn't the legislature of new mexico come to grips with all of the inequities in the injustices in this overall tax system we have we have a regressive system we have a lot of of tax problems especially for poor people you know people you represent him in santa fe county many of them are unjustly tax was the legislature to come to grips with this well roger allam the fact and there is the royals play out you know people are going to the polls but on one hand we want and what the pollsters are saying we want them to have the money to be able to build buildings for kids in schools and i think one of the things that cause if i were just to also let sixty five if we don't do something of

this nature then what can happen is people are not going to vote for bond issues in end of this is a moment that i had with the schools clinics you know on one hand you're saying that is too high for teachers you're the goslings too high and the other hand you're saying don't take her readings away or michigan to do have those high taxes and property but when oil gets also bond issues and then integrating it all but in your experiences as a political leader our people willing to pay if they think the system is fair but i think there's an increasing perception either the system's not fair but this is what i'm saying you know it for granted about a stone increase like we've had the last few years then to say hey it's not any more on what i guess they were bond issue and who's the most it's one of the the kids that are never be able to have a building order built is maintained and eventually out all public services is this the beginning to all three of you think it is the beginning of a more sweeping tax reform movement in the state are property tax relief this year but may be next year or the

year after real reform of the income tax corporate tax for change would be a nice idea people paying their fair share something roger that this committee that formed on now there was a stage or how to deal with our property taxes is going to become the citizens for tax justice we do not stop here we're going to continue will continue meeting we're going to go to other communities ah other counties are we understand harding is having a hard time when the stand that albuquerque north valley is having our time and i'm in doing what we've done now is what we've tried to do is grow an awareness throughout the state and of course the media i has not been real helpful because i think they themselves are afraid that there might be a tax revolt here in mexico weller also sometimes baffled by this issue maybe be frightened but also applies even is

the fear that our we are finally going to do something we're finally going to i'll start taxing where we need to get to tax where is the opposition to this are presented lew and charisma because both of you who's going to be opposed to real tax reform in the state of the big interests that financial interests and corporations themselves wouldn't have a and i have a class war in mexico with this over this issue well what i think you are certainly aren't centrally assist property which is corporations and this discovery haven't been painted for sure i agree with you and i think that that's something that isis has suffered has been lacking and she's done after a special properties and less confident about centrally assess property whose fault is that is that is an administrative oversight women in one but the fact is that dallas is a book that is about a nine percent clip of

ferraro going to correct and probably up and there were no settlements out as adam and i had that eighty five percent of the assessments in santa fe county are but to date and of course they started with a few seconds left system badly stacked in favor of the other wealthy about guano that's no cliche but isn't it isn't just good down troops into mexico well i think that's very much true and i think that's more true than in many other states and i think it's a matter of people were you know taking the political system back for themselves and people remembering what democracy means which is not just voting average couple years in the voting booth being involved in groups like ours bashing what the legislature does are we talking about and the preservation of the state and away with special about new mexico is a state of small family's traditional culture

are we were in danger of losing that our way is we're being crossed daily ah we are i don't know why but others say people in santa fe many santa fe as a little resort in the city we don't want a beer resort city we want to be able to allow have are our families in the neighborhood where they grew up i i'm stan thank you all for joining us and i have to if you wish you good look around and those are presented and chris moore and ford weeks and from the new mexico legislature and roger morris for more information about citizens' for property tax justice call now need six to low seven one if you would like to express your comments please write at week's end and

carol kaye enemy tv eleven thirty university boulevard northeast albuquerque new mexico eight seven one zero to or call to seven seven zero six eight six tonight as you might tell them that sound and then we're ready to support shy your bow and arrow are you have the total support of this community that too many people that were there protesting all will be there to support you go and incidentally i'm not i'm an attorney i've got about javascript issue about it on a college or and i am happy that the lord gave me the perception to build weapons for a cassette copy of this at week's end program sent thirty five dollars which includes shipping and handling to play in any tv twelve hundred university boulevard northeast albuquerque new mexico a seven one zero to or call one eight hundred three to eight by six six three as

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