The American Politics Workshop
presents
Christopher R. Berry
William J. and Alicia Townsend Friedman Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, Academic Director of the Center for Municipal Finance, and Faculty Director of the Master of Science Program in Computational Analysis and Public Policy
“Taxed Out: Illegal property tax assessments and the epidemic of tax foreclosures in Detroit”
Abstract:
Detroit is experiencing historic levels of property tax foreclosure. More than 100,000 properties, or one-in-four throughout the city, have been foreclosed upon for nonpayment of property taxes since 2011. Simultaneously, there is strong evidence that the City is over assessing homeowners in violation of the Michigan Constitution, calling into question the record number of property tax foreclosures. This Article is the first attempt to measure the impact of unconstitutional tax assessments on property tax foreclosures. Controlling for purchase price, location, and time-of-sale, we show that properties assessed at higher rates were more likely to experience a subsequent tax foreclosure. We estimate that 10 percent of all tax foreclosures were caused by illegally inflated tax assessments. Moreover, since lower priced homes were over assessed at a greater frequency and magnitude than higher priced homes, we estimate that 25 percent of tax foreclosures among homes in the bottom price quintile (less than $8,000 in sale price) were due to unconstitutional property tax assessments. Consequently, property tax malfeasance has unjustly displaced thousands of Detroit homeowners, most of whom are African-American. While the numbers in Detroit are extreme, there is reason to be concerned that similar practices are widespread.
Wednesday, February 28th, 2018
12:00 – 1:20 pm
**Lunch will be served**
Location: Pick Hall, First Floor Lounge, 5828 S. University Ave.
To join the workshop email list visit: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/subscribe/americanpolitics. Individuals with disabilities or those who require special accommodations should contact the coordinators, Jenn M. Jackson (jennjackson@uchicago.edu) and Scott Cooley (cooley@uchicago.edu).
Additional information about the American Politics Workshop can be found on our website: https://voices.uchicago.edu/americanpol/
