PLATFORM
3 Key Issues to Address as the Next Tax Assessor
AFFORDABILITY
Residents should be able to stay in their homes and neighborhoods!
-
Develop a data-driven proposal for a renter tax credit to provide equitable tax relief similar to that granted to homeowners through homestead exemptions.
-
Ensure sales of short term rentals are not unfairly increasing neighborhood assessments.
-
Partner with the Mayor and City Council on a Property Tax Fairness Commission that goes beyond basic industry standards.
MOBILITY
Residents should be able to move to new homes, become first time home owners, and grow the city's population.
-
End Sales Chasing, a prohibited practice currently in use, where home values are assessed at 13-15% higher than comparable existing homes.
-
Ensure first time homebuyers get full advantage of the homestead exemption.
-
Partner with anyone with ideas to increase housing starts in Orleans Parish – starts are at a 37-year all time low.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Residents deserve proof for how our property taxes are fair and efficient, not just told to trust it.
-
Show our work. Expand public awareness and understanding of the valuation process, as well as individual valuations.
-
Actively encourage property owners to pass on one-time tax breaks to renters and businesses experiencing disruption or income loss.
-
Partner with city agencies on an annual report on commercial tax breaks to promote accuracy, improve future decisions, and to ensure public investments actually produce public benefits.
What does the
Tax Assessor do?
Tax Assessor is an elected position, but it is not a political position. The Assessor does not set tax rates, but they do have a specific local duty to:
-
Ensure taxes are distributed fairly and efficiently across the city.
-
Inform local debates on housing, land use, and economic development via research and public education – not politics.
Everyone in the Parish pays property taxes. Home owners, renters and business owners share the burden and responsibility – we all have a stake in the outcome!