Home Equity Theft: Seizing Property Over An Unpaid $8.41 Tax Bill
Is there any sane person out there who, when presented with, "Either you pay $8.41 that you owe in taxes or we take your home away," who would say, "Naw...I'm keeping my $8.41!"?

There's something terrible going on, and it's called, "home-equity theft."

Brittany Hunter writes at FEE of various Americans, who, typically through error, owe $10 or a $100 or a few hundred dollars in property taxes and have their homes seized by government and then sold:

In 2014, Uri Refaeli lost his home after it was foreclosed on and seized by Oakland County, Michigan. In 2011, Rafaeli purchased a small $60,000 property for his business, Rafaeli, LLC. To make matters worse for Michigan, the state also has a shady reputation for using this practice to its own benefit.

While he had paid his 2012 and 2013 property taxes in full, he discovered that he had accidentally underpaid in 2011. When he made this realization and tried to correct his mistake in 2013, he forgot to account for the interest that had accrued on his back taxes. As a result, he underpaid by a measly $8.41. The county seized and sold his property for $24,500. Rafaeli never saw a dime of this money.

When it comes to outstanding debt, just like private companies, governments are eager to get what is owed and there nothing wrong with them attempting to do so. However, when they begin to go after more than they are owed, the situation becomes troublesome.

To make matters worse for Michigan, the state also has a shady reputation for using this practice to its own benefit. According to Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), local governments pad their budgets with the money earned from this stolen property. Each year in Detroit's budget, there is a line with the estimated total revenue that the government is expecting to bring in from foreclosures of this very nature.

Earlier this year, it was discovered that Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabree had violated Treasurer's office rules by funneling foreclosed properties to family members and well-established and connected businessman for a fraction of the cost.

Cui bono? Always gotta ask that.

Hunter continues:

Our country was founded on the fervent belief that individuals have the right to their life, liberty, and, as is especially applicable here, their property.

...Yet, practices like home equity theft and civil asset forfeiture, which allow law enforcement to strip individuals of their property without due process, have belittled this sacred principle and harmed many innocent people in the process. The confiscation of a person's property, especially over a few dollars of unpaid taxes, is thoroughly unAmerican. Private property should be protected by the government, not seized and sold off before an individual has an opportunity to remedy the situation.

The unconstitutional practice of home equity theft has allowed individuals to be stripped of their property without fair compensation.

Pacific Legal Foundation, "a national nonprofit legal organization that defends Americans threatened by government overreach and abuse," takes some of these cases.

By defending those victimized, they defend the rights of all of us.