Why STAR in new york is a bad idea

The STAR program (I forget what it stands for, “Stupid Tax Assessment Reclamation” maybe?) is a great testament to the inefficiency of state government. I mean who really questions that, and does it really need to be brought up again? No, it doesn’t but I can’t resist.

The STAR program basically gives back money to property owners who pay property taxes.

Now most sane people would just organize it so that they’re charged less rather than charge more and then give back some of it. It’s a waste of time, and money.

Somewhere, greenburgh found a ton of money to rebuild the library. Now I’m all for libraries, so good for them. But while they’re building it, they’ve moved the books and other library materials into 3 satellite offices, one of them being in the also nearly brand-spanking-new town hall (you know, the place when you get ass fucked when you want to get a building permit to build a gazebo).

I go to the town hall nowadays to borrow DVDs from the library. I marvel that the library spends good tax money on buying the likes of “Jackass II” to put in the borrowable library materials, but that’s a rant for another day.

While walking to the back of the building where the library materials are, I always pass an office that says “STAR program. We will return 9am.”

They (I’m sorry, I mean WE THE TAXPAYERS) employ people and heat the space of an office to support the process of giving back money that they charged in property taxes when just a little more time could be spent in the existing tax office to make sure they charge me the right amount of taxes in the first place.

And for this extra expense, I’m sure my taxes have gone up.

We need a revolution. Just a little one.

And I’m sure that building a gazebo increased my property taxes.

Of which I will get some back from the STAR program.

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