By Robert Robb, columnist | The Arizona Republic
(Editor’s note: Opinion pieces are posted only for purposes of discussion.)
Republican state treasurer aspirant Hugh Hallman has been accused of supporting a property tax increase while mayor of Tempe. It’s a bum rap.
For years, when property values were rising, county and city officials bragged that they were holding the line on the property tax rate. Of course, the same rate on higher values was producing an annual bonanza in actual collections.
The bursting of the housing bubble exposed the fraud. Suddenly, since values were declining, the same rate would produce less revenue.
