Published: August 20, 2007 07:54 pm      

Tax protesters dunk tax bills in northern Indiana lake

ROME CITY — Noble and LaGrange county residents upset with property tax hikes protested the increase by dunking their tax bills in a northern Indiana lake.

About 75 people watched Sunday as tax bills were stuffed into a white cloth bag that was then dipped into Sylvan Lake, mimicking American colonists' Boston Tea Party protest over a British-imposed tea tax.

A steady rain didn't deter the crowd, which watched the "tea bag" bob in the lake about 30 miles northwest of Fort Wayne and debated the tax increases many Indiana residents have felt.

"My taxes went sky high, and I can't even afford to pay anything," said Pam Spohr, 53, who owns a house on Sylvan Lake and several nearby rental properties.

Spohr and her husband had to dip into their inheritance and retirement money to help pay the 150 percent increase on their bill. She said they fear they'll have to sell their rentals.

Statewide, taxes on homeowners are expected to rise 24 percent on average this year, although many taxpayers face bills that have spiked far higher.

Some homeowners from the northeastern Indiana counties such as the Spohrs have seen property tax increases of up to 150 percent, although assessed values in Noble County increased 12 percent on average this year, county officials have said.

Rome City engineer Nick Heffner organized the protest with help from Hoosiers for Fair Taxation, an Indianapolis-based activist group calling for the abolishment of property taxes.