I found this bit of news a little disturbing — apparently the Raleigh City Council is set to approve a tax on rental units (An annual charge of $30 for the single-family rental house, $10 per apartment unit), an additional tax that will be charged to property owners. This seems like a good thing, right? After all, we all need the roads, sewer, police, fire departments … why shouldn’t the people who use these things pay for them?
The thing is, they already do. For each property (and potential user of these services) ad valorum property taxes are collected that pay for these services.
These fees amount to nothing more than a tax on tenancy. Make no mistake–if this is passed, the additional costs will be passed onto the tenants. In contrast, homeowners will not have this additional tax burden.
Unfortunately, a majority of the City Council believes that renters in Raleigh are second-class citizens, and should be taxed simply because they are renters. The City Council thinks that you won’t notice the tax, because they make your landlord pay it, but your rent will go up because of these new rules and taxes.
The City Council vote is on July 1st. Please contact the Raleigh City Council and urge that Mayor Meeker and Councilmembers Thomas Crowder, Russ Stephenson, Nancy McFarlane and Roger Koopman join their esteemed colleagues, Councilmembers James West, Mary-Ann Baldwin and Philip Isley in opposition of this tax!
