What Are Real Estate Taxes and How Do They Differ from Property Taxes? A Comprehensive Guide

Taxpayers in all 50 states and DC pay property taxes but real estate tax is collected primarily by local governments. Learn more about real estate vs property taxes here.

What Are Real Estate Taxes and How Do They Differ from Property Taxes? A Comprehensive Guide

Taxpayers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia pay property taxes, but real estate tax is collected primarily by local governments (cities, counties, and school districts). Real estate taxes are annual taxes that a homeowner must pay on the assessed value of their home. Each municipal and state municipality determines the amount of the real estate tax rate by multiplying the fair market value of a home by the predetermined percentage in that municipality to arrive at the tax assessment value. Have you ever heard people complain about the high cost of real estate taxes in your area? This is what they're talking about, and the highest tax rates are often found in big cities like New York or Los Angeles. When it comes to real estate versus property taxes, what's the difference? In short, there are none.

The IRS uses the term “real estate taxes,” but most people use “property taxes” to mean the same thing. Both terms refer to money that is paid to state or local governments due to taxes on real estate. The point is that knowledge about taxes can help you better understand your mortgage, since these taxes are likely to be included in your monthly mortgage payment and held as collateral for the state to collect later. Depending on the location, the party responsible for paying these taxes could be the seller, the buyer, or both. However, there are many different types of property that a person can own and each type of property is taxed differently.

Mobile items (vehicles, business equipment and furniture) are taxed at a different rate than real estate taxes. Vehicles are considered immovable property when they are attached to the ground, such as a mobile home anchored with steel straps. This is not only because your personal assets tend to have less value than a home, but also because they are taxed at a lower rate than real estate taxes. Now that you understand the difference between real estate taxes and personality property taxes, you're less likely to use the terms interchangeably and you're more likely to understand the tax returns and the bills you receive for each of them. Property taxes help fund the salaries and supplies of firefighters, police, emergency medical technicians and a variety of public safety workers. Because they are all furniture, a personal property tax is calculated on its value, similar to how you calculate the tax value of your home.

In addition, many states and localities impose limits on the amount of taxes that can increase from year to year and also on cases in which properties change hands. A property tax is what appears to be a tax that is paid on residential or commercial property owned by people like you or a legal entity. In general, many people consider taxes to be an undesirable but totally necessary aspect of modern life, about which the less said, the better.

Preston Morand
Preston Morand

Infuriatingly humble tv fan. Social media aficionado. Hardcore music ninja. Incurable pop culture fanatic. Award-winning zombie aficionado.

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