Chip Taylor

Another article on the NH "view" tax

One problem with the New Hampshire view tax. Valuation is very subjective:

[L]andowners with high-value views are livid about their tax bills, and they have started pressing officials to explain just how, exactly, they managed to distill the ineffable majesty of nature into dollar values.

Turns out, it is not a totally exact science.

"It's more of an 'I know it when I see it' kind of thing," said Thomas Holmes, the assessor for the town of Conway, N.H.

So, how do they value it? Here's an illustration from the manual:

Does that clear things up? I didn't think so.

Other problems? Well, for one thing, by making the land more expensive to own, a high subjective valuation makes it more likely to be developed.

Second, why should the local government be the recipient of a view tax windfall? What about the people who won the property providing the scenic vista. They aren't compensated for providing the view, so they likewise have no incentive not to develop that property.

An earlier post on the same subject.