          
          
          
               Higher property taxes will be as much a product of
          the Clinton administration as higher federal income
          taxes.  State governments may be trying to cut costs,
          but federal mandates like Medicaid keep pushing their
          budgets into the red.  And while states aren't likely
          to raise income taxes -- an obvious ploy -- they'll
          probably try some back door tricks. 
          
               One favorite tactic is to push costs down from the
          state to the local level.
          
               Local governments have few options other than
          raising property taxes, so that's just what they do.  
          
               Why now?  There are two reasons:  Politically,
          most state officials don't face election this year. 
          Economically, operating budgets are in the red, but
          some two-thirds of their budgets are spent on items
          that can't be cut, such as education, Medicaid, and
          prisons -- the costs of which are rising faster than
          inflation.
          
               But there are things you can do.  The first is to
          verify your existing tax assessment, and challenge it
          if necessary.  Then we offer some creative alternatives
          that won't work for everybody but are worth exploring
          if they fit your situation.  
          
          
          
