{"id":151665,"date":"2025-09-09T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=151665"},"modified":"2025-09-08T18:32:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T23:32:28","slug":"dana-criswell-tax-sales-prove-we-dont-really-own-our-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/dana-criswell-tax-sales-prove-we-dont-really-own-our-homes\/","title":{"rendered":"Dana Criswell: “Tax Sales Prove We Don\u2019t Really Own Our Homes”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Property taxes are government rent with a nice label. You can spend your life paying off a mortgage, maintain your place, raise your family there\u2014and still lose it if you can\u2019t keep up with the annual bill. That isn\u2019t ownership. It\u2019s a perpetual lease from the state, and the yearly tax sale is the proof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every year, counties auction off liens on properties with unpaid taxes. The county gets its money now; the bidder gets a certificate and interest; the owner gets a clock that starts ticking. If the owner pays everything plus penalties and interest, they keep the home. If not, the government ultimately hands a deed to someone else. That\u2019s not a community taking care of its own\u2014that\u2019s a system designed to remind you who\u2019s really in charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve participated in these auctions. I\u2019ve purchased\u2014more accurately, paid the delinquent taxes on\u2014three properties. All three owners redeemed, and I received my investment plus interest. On paper, that\u2019s the system \u201cworking.\u201d But what did it require? Neighbors paying a premium just to keep what was already theirs. Families scrambling to meet a deadline because the county needed cash. That isn\u2019t stewardship; it\u2019s coercion dressed up as process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Property taxes are destructive because they separate ownership from security. You never reach the finish line. Seniors on fixed incomes don\u2019t \u201cage out\u201d of the tax man. Young families don\u2019t get breathing room while trying to build a future. And the government\u2019s appetite grows because it can. Assessments rise, millage creeps, and your \u201cequity\u201d becomes collateral for somebody else\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporters say property taxes fund \u201cessential services.\u201d I support roads, deputies, and schools. But the way we fund them matters. If the only way government can provide services is by putting a lien on your home and threatening an auction if you fall behind, then the model is broken. In a free society, your home should be your castle\u2014not the county\u2019s piggy bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a better path. Phase out property taxes and replace them with transparent, voter-approved consumption-based revenue. Put real caps on local spending growth. Require every significant increase to go to the ballot\u2014no more backdoor hikes through reassessments and jargon. End the annual auction ritual. If government must collect, do it without hanging a sale notice over a family\u2019s front door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some will say this is unrealistic. What\u2019s unrealistic is pretending people truly \u201cown\u201d their homes while a tax bill can take it away. What\u2019s unrealistic is calling it \u201clocal control\u201d when a household\u2019s fate depends on an interest rate and a deadline. We can fund what\u2019s necessary without threatening the most important piece of wealth most families will ever own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re tired of living under a permanent rent to government, make some noise. Tell your supervisors you won\u2019t accept millage increases. Tell your legislators to prioritize eliminating property taxes and replacing them with a fairer, more honest system. Real ownership means you\u2019re secure in your home\u2014without the county holding the keys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Want more?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here is a breakdown of the details on how Mississippi counties run one big sale each year to collect delinquent property taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The basics (for owners and bidders)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. When the sale happens<\/strong>
    By statute, counties hold the annual land tax sale on the last Monday in August<\/strong> (some may optionally do an additional sale the first Monday in April). Many counties now run it online. Justia<\/a>
    Example county notice: DeSoto County explicitly sets its tax sale for the last Monday in August and uses online bidding.     desotocountyms.gov<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. What\u2019s being sold<\/strong>
    The winning bidder pays the past-due taxes, fees and costs. In return they get a tax lien<\/strong> (a certificate interest) and the right to a deed later if the owner doesn\u2019t redeem in time. The lien bears statutory interest, and it can be enforced; the deed comes only if the owner doesn\u2019t redeem.     Justia<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Required public notice before the sale<\/strong>
    The tax collector must advertise the list of properties<\/strong> to be sold for two weeks<\/strong> in a qualifying newspaper (or as otherwise allowed) before the sale.     Justia<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. How bidding works (important for investors)<\/strong>
    Mississippi uses a premium-bid<\/strong> auction: bidders bid up from<\/strong> the face amount (taxes + fees). Only the face amount<\/strong> earns the statutory return; any overbid\/premium does not earn interest and is not reimbursed<\/strong> if the owner redeems\u2014so overbidding can lose you money.     govease.helpscoutdocs.com<\/a> Alcorn County –<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Owner\u2019s right to redeem (the \u201ccool-down\u201d period)<\/strong>
    The owner (or an interested party) can redeem within two years<\/strong> from the sale by paying the chancery clerk:
    \u2022 all taxes sold, plus 5% statutory damages<\/strong>,
    \u2022 1.5% interest per month<\/strong> on the taxes and costs (fractional months count), and
    \u2022 any additional costs accrued.
    This is \u201cregardless of the amount of the purchaser\u2019s bid,\u201d<\/strong> i.e., premiums don\u2019t factor into what the owner must repay.     Justia<\/a>
    Counties commonly explain it this way, too (two years; 1.5%\/month).     co.jackson.ms.us<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Current and oldest taxes<\/strong>
    To redeem, the owner generally must clear oldest delinquencies first<\/strong>, and current-year taxes that accrued since the sale must also be paid on the portion being redeemed.     co.jackson.ms.us<\/a> Delta State University<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Mandatory \u201cmaturing\u201d notices before the deadline<\/strong>
    Between 180 and 60 days<\/strong> before the 2-year period ends, the chancery clerk must send statutory notices<\/strong> to the record owner (and lienholders) per Chapter 43. Mistakes here can void a sale, which is why clerks are meticulous.     Justia<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. If the owner does not redeem<\/strong>
    After the two years run, the purchaser may demand a tax deed<\/strong> from the chancery clerk. Many buyers then pursue a quiet-title action to insure\/market the property, but the deed itself is issued by statute.     Justia<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. If nobody bids at the sale<\/strong>
    The parcel is \u201cstruck off to the State<\/strong>.\u201d If it still isn\u2019t redeemed, it matures into tax-forfeited lands<\/strong> managed and resold by the Mississippi Secretary of State.     Justia<\/a> Mississippi Secretary of State<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Property taxes are government rent with a nice label. You can spend your life paying off a mortgage,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":124494,"featured_media":151716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17316,25855],"tags":[5,11291],"class_list":["post-151665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mississippi","category-op-ed","tag-mississippi","tag-taxes"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Evicted.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/124494"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151665"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151665\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":151719,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151665\/revisions\/151719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}