Fix inequality in Cape property taxes  One of my pet peeves is
the inequality of property taxes. How much you pay in taxes
depends on the assessed value of your home, and state law
mandates that every property should be assessed at 100 percent
of its current fair market value. Unfortunately, calculating
fair market value is not easy, and I have found that well over
half of the valuations appear to be either too high or too low.
I checked recent sales of 100 homes in eight Cape towns
(Barnstable, Bourne, Dennis, Falmouth, Harwich, Mashpee,
Sandwich and Yarmouth) and found only five houses that were
right on target (around 100 percent) while almost 60 percent of
the houses were so far off as to create a large gap in taxes
paid by houses of equal value.  For example, one house in
Mashpee sold for $250,000 and was assessed for $355,000; while
another sold for $255,000 and was assessed at $230,000. These
houses have roughly the same market value, but taxes on one are
about $1,200 more per year than taxes on the o