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Collecting taxes, Minnesota steals assets of the vulnerable

This abuse is intentional and must come to an end

Opinion editor's note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes a mix of national and local commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

In 2015, officials in Hennepin County seized an elderly woman's condo and sold it, over about $2,300 of unpaid property taxes, plus $12,700 in penalties, interest and fees. They sold that home for $40,000 and kept every penny, robbing elderly Geraldine Tyler of her home equity.

And that's just one example. From 2014 through 2021, local governments in Minnesota seized and sold at least 1,350 Minnesota homes. The lost savings amounted to an average of $155,000 per home, or 90% of the home's value. Minnesota is one of 12 states, plus the District of Columbia, still allowing these abusive and unconstitutional "tax and take" seizures.

A recent study prepared by Pacific Legal Foundation details how these predatory tax laws work, and the windfall government has taken at the expense of people like Tyler.

https://www.startribune.com/collecting-taxes-minnesota-steals-assets-of-the-vulnerable/600241103/

 

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