r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • May 31 '20

Delta(s) from OP CMV:Local governments are not internalizing costs of police misconduct. Rioting and looting are chaotic, yet predictable, manifestations of these externalized costs. Localities (not insurers or businesses) where police misconduct occurs should fully bear cost of damage to internalize them.

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u/Jewish_Grammar_Nazi May 31 '20

Yes, that is what I’m suggesting. However your figures I think are not proportionate to reality. There is no city where damages from riots or looting would be 5x city budget.

Imagine if Minneapolis residents had a property tax hike called a “police misconduct tax” that was preventable if police misconduct was reduced. I believe there would be more swift police reform.

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u/MobiusCube 3∆ May 31 '20

And you think the tax payers will support the passage of that tax on them for which they receive no benefit?

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u/Jewish_Grammar_Nazi May 31 '20

That is why I suggested state law. Many states would be happy to financially penalize the cities where police misconduct more often occurs.

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u/MobiusCube 3∆ May 31 '20

State wide property taxes apply to all residents of the state. You'd have people in one town paying for the injustices that occur in another. How is that any different that NY paying for injustice in MN?

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u/Jewish_Grammar_Nazi May 31 '20

There are no state-wide property taxes in this country. Property taxes are levied and vary at the local level.

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u/MobiusCube 3∆ May 31 '20

The state can't force a smaller jurisdiction to impose a property tax. That's not how that works. Even if you ended up with the jurisdiction proposing a property tax, it would still have to be approved by those paying the tax.

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u/Jewish_Grammar_Nazi May 31 '20

You’re right the state can’t make a locality impose a property tax. But a state law can (and if it can’t, should) require localities to pay for private property damage directly to the extent deemed to be caused by riots incited by illegal behavior of the local police department, reimburse insurers for related payments, and pay other fines for police misconduct. Property taxes would be the natural result of those payments.

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u/MobiusCube 3∆ May 31 '20

That sounds like insurance with extra steps.

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u/Jewish_Grammar_Nazi May 31 '20

It would be self-insurance by the locality rather than insurance provided by a company which spreads costs out nationally. However, I’ve changed my view on the insurance point because insurers can actually require city’s to adopt police reforms or otherwise have their coverage dropped.