Mike Barnes <mikebrns@verizon.net> writes:

I moved to Highland Park in July of 2004. Much to my dismay I was welcomed with unfair property taxes and a 3% wage tax. My house is very similar to my immediate neighbors around me yet I am paying twice as much in property taxes as my neighbors just because I bought my house after 2002.

If you feel your assessment is out of line, get a lawyer and file an appeal. We had good luck using Woodruff & Flaherty (don't have their phone number to hand, but their office is on Walnut St). They're willing to work on a contingency basis, ie, their fee is a percentage of your first-year tax savings, which seemed pretty fair to us. It was really painless too ... we didn't even have to go to the appeal procedure. As for the wage tax, well, price of living in the city :-(. Don't forget that both wage tax and real estate taxes are deductible on your federal schedule A; it's usually very worth while to itemize if you're a homeowner. regards, tom lane