Property tax assessment has always been a complete sham for a variety of reasons, including the fact that it screws the poor.

According to the study done by the Inquirer, which despite its rightward creep in recent years still does some occasional real journalism, the average assessment to sales ratio declines substantially with the sale price of the home.




While city tax assessors dispute that they are overtaxing low-end homes, they acknowledge that many expensive homes are substantially underassessed.

"I think you're right, and I surrender," said David Glancey, chairman of the tax board. "What this shows is we have a long way to go."