Prop. 13 Property Tax Rate Index

There is an easy way to find out if a homeowner is being helped by or hurt by
Proposition 13.
Go to www.zillow.com. Type in your own address, then click on “Go”.
This will bring up the basic information with a map in the background.
Click on “See home info”. Note the current estimate of your property’s value.
Scroll down to “2008 Property Tax”.
Divide the tax amount by the current value. This will give you a number that will represent your tax rate index. (Example: if the resulting number is 0.004502…,then you have a 0.45% tax rate index.)
Now compare your index number with those of your family, friends, and neighbors.
If you generally have an index number higher than the others, then you are paying their taxes.
If your number is generally lower than the others, you owe them a big “thank you” for paying your share of taxes.