Where can I read about what exactly mello roos is spent on?
Per the 2012 dated IRS letter:
Assessments on real property owners, based other than on the assessed value of the property, may be
deductible if they are levied for the general public welfare by a proper taxing authority at
a like rate on owners of all properties in the taxing authority?s jurisdiction, and if the
assessments are not for local benefits (unless for maintenance or interest charges).
So if an assessment on real property owners is spent on local benefits other than maintenance and interest, it's not deductible. Okay.
Every resident better back out a portion of their regular property tax because some of it makes it's way back to expand local school/police/fire/road services via state transfer payments to local governments.
What is local? Within 500 yards? 1 mile? 10 miles?
Local to who? The tax payer? The property? What if the tax payer pays mello roos on a property but lives 100 miles away in an area where he receives no local benefit from the mello roos, is it deductible then since it's not local to the tax payer?
What if the mello roos goes towards building a park that is public to anyone in the world? Isn't that more than just a local benefit?
What if the mello roos goes towards building a school near the property but the resident/owner is impotent and childless forever or send them to private school? That school is providing no local benefit to the property/owner.
Surely some of these "local benefits" actually benefit more than just the locals, right? Good parks, schools, roads, neighborhoods provide a benefit to the entire city, future residents, visitors, neighboring cities, and the entire state when they show high marks to meet federal funding criteria.
If it's a tax is levied on a property, call it as such and make it deductible. Don't call it a fee. Don't name it after some people whose legacy is a piece of legislation. Call it a property tax and treat it like all other property tax.
If it's an installment payment secured by a house to pay off the land preparation so the developer hit their margins with the help of a subsidy, call it a shady installment payment secured via lien to spread the full purchase price into the future. Do not allow home builders to advertise it as part of the tax rate. I would love to receive a new home brochure that listed "Shady corporatocracy made lien - $3,000 per year for 40 years and maybe more because things" Or like the truth in lending disclosures where they are required to show you the total amount of principle + interest due to be repaid in a clear understandable way printed in normal sized font top of the page.
If it's an installment payment to pay off a loan used to construct local parks/schools to service additional citizens because the city/county couldn't pay for it out of their general fund and is obsessed with open space and blue ribbons, well... call it a tax and make it deductible.