But Rhode Island towns revalue every three years ensuring that new owners will be sensibly and fairly taxed on the value of the house they chose, using a fair rate based on market values. But what happens to everyone else? Are they paying the right tax?

The fact is that thousands will pay much more taxes than the levy requires, regardless of what happens to spending - even if the town doesn't increase the levy at all ! Does this make any sense? Why allow your property tax dollars to be used merely to lower someone else's tax bill, often as not, someone in a more expensive house?

In summary, a revaluation does tax new owners properly but it does not tax existing owners properly. Without revaluation the opposite is true - existing owners pay a proper tax but new owners don't. Our current market based system is always wrong for someone.

REPLACE THE PROPERTY TAX WITH A PROPERTY OWNERS TAX

With an Owners Tax the tax bill is based on the prior year's tax bill, adjusted just enough to fund the tax levy, similar to what currently happens to tax bills in a non-revaluation year. If the levy increased say 3.4%, everyone gets a 3.4% increase.

Since new owners have no prior tax bill , their initial Owners Tax is based on the current assessed value of their purchase, just as in a standard revaluation year. This becomes their prior tax and their future tax bills will be adjusted the same as everyone else, on their prior tax.