Obama party stays in home taxed at $300

[somone]

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20101227_obama_party_stays_in_home_taxed_at_300.html

Obama party stays in home taxed at $300
The owner of a historic Kailua house beside the one the president uses has his property bill cut
By Rob Perez

The absentee owner of a multimillion-dollar home being used by President Barack Obama's visiting entourage gets one of the biggest residential property tax breaks on Oahu. Kevin Comcowich, the Houston investment executive who purchased the nearly 5,000-square-foot home for $9 million in January 2008, was charged $300 in property taxes this year.

Last year, Comcowich paid nearly $30,000 in taxes for his 1-acre beachfront spread in Kailua. In 2007 the tab — paid by the previous owner — was about $48,000, according to city records. Comcowich got the huge break because he was granted a 10-year property tax exemption by the city for his historic residence, built in the 1940s by Harold Castle, a key figure in the development of Kailua. The exemption is designed to encourage the preservation of historic homes.

Like last year, friends of the president are using the Comcowich home while they are vacationing here. Obama and his family are staying in a home next door. Those who get full exemptions on Oahu pay only $300 annually in property taxes — regardless of the value of the residence. The flat rate, raised from $100 last year, is believed to be one of the most generous property tax breaks for historic homes in the country.

Critics of the program cite the Comcowich case as the latest and, with the president's visit, highest-profile example of the program's unfairness. They say the exemptions disproportionately benefit the rich and provide an excessive break, without taking into account the value of the homes, how much is spent on maintenance, whether the owners live there and whether they even need the public to subsidize their taxes...

[Enrique]

1. oh, they can make that up

just cut the greedy teachers salaries. :sarcasm:

[pnwmom]

2. self-delete

[OregonBlue]

3. "Obama and his family are staying in a home next door". Says the article so what does this have to

with Obama?

[no limit]

4. Obama's visiting entourage stays in this home

according to the article.

[OregonBlue]

6. Exactly what is Obama's visiting entourage? I bet this is a right wing meme. The visiting entourage

is probably Obama groupies who are following him around. I read the whole article, don't see any connection to Obama at all except that he is staying next door.

Why was this drivel even posted?

[FrenchieCat]

5. Everything was and is Obama's fault......

doncha know? :shrug:

[OregonBlue]

8. It appears that if he and his family stay next door to a property, they are responsible

for what happens at the property next door?

[rfranklin]

17. Sorry Frenchie, but this is a story about how the rich exploit us...

and Obama ain't doing nothing to change that. In fact, he is aiding and abetting them at every turn.

[pnwmom]

18. So you don't approve of municipalities using taxes to

encourage historical preservation?

[rfranklin]

20. don't care if it takes away from people trying to survive today...

I guess that makes me an unthinking jerk. I often think about the awe that people display when touring castles and mansions, and can't really participate because I realize that people suffered terrible deprivation to construct those monuments for the rich.

[pnwmom]

21. The total tax break for historical buildings is .005 of the city's

operating budget. Apparently that city thinks it's worth it.

[rfranklin]

22. Ask the property tax payers if they want to subsidize this...

and I think you would get a different answer these days.

[EFerrari]

7. Isn't this SOP for historic buildings?

It has been everywhere I've lived. :shrug:

[OregonBlue]

10. Probably is but isn't it funny that the fact that the Obamas are staying next door makes this

Obama's fault here at DU. This place is nuts.

[EFerrari]

14. :-) Not only DU, though. They printed this story

to get this reaction.

A lot of people are hurting and especially over the holidays.

[Aramchek]

16. It's Ammunition, Baaaaaabbby!!

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. So the state of Hawaii does some stupid shit... IT'S ALL OBAMA'S FAULT!!!!!!!

because, God knows, it's always Obama's fault!!!

[OregonBlue]

11. Article is laughable!!!

[countingbluecars]

12. OMG

send this to Fox News quick!!

[OregonBlue]

13. They probably provided the article to the rag in the first place!!

[Aramchek]

15. the headline should be: Obama party stays in Historic Home

Nice bid for controversy, though.

[dionysus]

19. better send this to glen beck right away!111!!11

:rofl: