Allegheny Co. Homeowners Have Sticker Shock Over New Property Taxes
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – For the first time, everyone can see just what they'll be paying in new property taxes on the Allegheny County Assessment website.
And many people are having sticker shock.
Lawrenceville is an upcoming city neighborhood with new hip restaurants, art galleries and newly renovated townhouses.
And along with all of that – higher property taxes.
"They doubled," one homeowner said.
"They've doubled and tripled," another homeowner said.
High assessments mean higher property taxes and now everyone can see just how high.
Homeowners' tax bills are now available online on the county assessment website, just by searching for your property and clicking on the tax information tab.
The 2013 bill will appear in red at the bottom of the page and a lot of people won't be happy about it.
"You say winners and losers, but in reality there are more losers than winners," Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald, who fought unsuccessfully to stop the reassessment, says the fluctuation in taxes is not a good selling point for the country.
"What happens under a reassessments is instability," he said. "People don't know what they're taxes will be. That why county around us who haven't assess for thirty or forty years have a market advantage. they know what their taxes will be."
In Lawrenceville, many long-time residents are paying for the neighborhood's success.
"It's going to be a hard pill to swallow -- especially for the older people," Desiree Stimac of Lawrenceville said. "They've been here forever. Their incomes aren't going up."
Also, homeowners with high assessments in Lawrenceville and throughout the county should prepare themselves for sticker shock as time has come to pay the tax man.
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