Fight Tax Foreclosure

JOIN US @ 11627 KLINGER ST.  FOR A BANNER AND SIGN MAKING WORKSHOP: Saturday 1/24 @ 8pm

Tax Foreclosure
This year the city has given
61,881 property owners tax foreclosures
36,824 of those properties are occupied
2,570 “possibly occupied”…likely more…estimating 2-3 people in a home…
that’s 120,000 people with precarious housing security

MCL 211.10 – An Assessment of all the property in the state liable to taxation shall be made annually in all all townships, villages, and cities…

An real example of tax foreclosure:
Property foreclosed for delinquent taxes
Property sold to a bank in 2000 for $7000
Property sold by the bank to an individual in 2005 for $85,000
Foreclosed and sold to another bank in 2008 for $83,000
Sold by second bank to individual in 2009 for $4,800

2012 – Value for Taxation purposes $8528 = $584 taxes owed
2013 – Value for Taxation purposes $8016 = $549 taxes owed
2014 – Property Value Reassessed   $543 = $37 taxes owed

MCL 211.23a – …The purpose of such appraisal is to provide a uniform basis for the assessment of taxes throughout the county in order to apportion the burden of property taxes fairly and equitably among the owners of taxable property.

HB 5421 – …Before July 1, 2016, if the amount of unpaid delinquent taxes, interest, penalties, and fees for which a property was forfeited is greater than 50% of the state equalized valuation of the property and the property is subject to and in compliance with a delinquent property tax installment payment plan under section 78q(1) or a tax foreclosure avoidance agreement under section 78q(5), or both, the foreclosing governmental unit may reduce the amount of taxes, interest, penalties, and fees required to be paid to redeem the property under subdivision (3)(a) to an amount equal to 50% of the state equalized valuation of the property. If a property is redeemed by payment of the reduced amount under this subsection, any remaining unpaid taxes, interest, penalties, and fees for which the property was forfeited and otherwise payable shall be canceled by the county treasurer. A foreclosing governmental unit may not approve a reduction in the amount necessary to redeem property under this subsection if the reduction would cause noncompliance with section 87c(7) or otherwise impermissibly impair an outstanding debt of the county.

The State charges 18% interest on delinquent taxes…but taxes imply services…and the service of property reassessment for purposes of taxation, one service among many the state and city are obligated to perform, has not been performed, in some cases for decades. The bankrupt city of Detroit admits to being negligent on reassessment…Mike Duggan explains

Tools to find out the history of your property’s assessment
Detroit’s personal property tax information lookup – Here
Property Tax estimator – Here

THIS ACTION IS ONGOING…Join various activists groups NOW and FEB 2-4 @ COBO Hall and Help Eviction Defense Sign People Up to File Objections to Foreclosures.

IMG_6158solidarity,
HFS