A quick tour of Delaware's unequal property tax system

If you believe people should pay property taxes proportional to the actual worth of their property, Delaware's system is not equal. 

In some cases, owners are taxed at a small percentage of their property's worth while others are taxed at the full market value.

EXPLANATION: Delaware's 'unfair,' outdated property tax system put on trial

To learn why that is, read this report from The News Journal and DelawareOnline.com. But to illustrate the issue, here are two examples of winners and losers in Delaware's property tax structure: 

Bryan and Patricia Silbermann bought a two-story, three-bedroom duplex in the Limerick neighborhood on Lancaster Pike in 2016. 

Here's some basic details: 

Market Value: Bought for $460,000 in 2016

Tax Value: Assessed at $194,500, about 42% of its market value

2018 county and school tax bill: $6,523

Just a five-minute drive away in the Greenville Overlook subdivision, there is a 5-bedroom, 5½-bath house. 

Market Value: Bought for $940,000 in 2017

Tax Value: Assessed at $197,300, about 20% of its market value

2018 county and school tax bill: $6,683

While the two homes carry comparable tax bills, the Greenville Overlook home is worth about twice as much. 

"It makes us mad," said Bryan Silbermann. "It is not fair."

EDITORIAL:Delaware's property tax system is indefensible. It's long past time to fix it

In some cases, a home might have four or five times the tax bill as another, but it is worth 10 or 20 times more.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of head-scratching comparisons like this throughout Delaware.

Find out why this exists in Delaware, how you may be affected and why it could change in The News Journal's special report. 

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter.