Editor,

Why isn’t the privately owned Navy family housing company paying real estate taxes?

The family homes on the Navy base are owned by a private company.

When privatization of military family housing was passed by Congress, Congress and top military officials expressed that deficiencies in local property taxes was one of the issues that privatization of military housing would help resolve.

This real estate tax would provide increased local revenue for roads, libraries, schools etc. used by Navy family members living in these private rental homes.

The private company that owns the homes rented to Navy and also non-military families would pay real estate taxes on the value of the homes, but not the value of the land they lease from the federal government on which these homes sit.

Why isn’t this commercial business required to pay real estate taxes like every other housing rental business?

Richard Fort

Oak Harbor