President Donald Trump’s big tax plan changed a lot of things, but there was one outcome that no one had anticipated.
In late December, local news reports from around the country showed sudden and unexpected long lines at municipal tax offices. Hearing that new tax rules would restrict state and local deductions, millions of Americans rushed to pay their property taxes. Though no one was sure at the time if it would work, accountants were advising everyone to pay their property taxes before the new year in hopes of skirting one disadvantage of the new rules in 2018.
The story was the same almost everywhere. Smaller jurisdictions saw a few dozen people line up where usually they saw none, while larger cities saw thousands swarm their counters.
