To the editor:

I received my 2013 real estate tax bill from St. Louis County.

It’s no surprise that the county raised my taxes $439.07. Another way of looking at this increase is 12 percent, which is ridiculous.

I am a 72-year-old senior citizen and how they came up with this increase is beyond me.

First, they raised my assessment $33,000 and I hired a company to appeal.

It was lowered $13,000, which is still too high.

Where they got the original figure of an increase of $33,000, I do not know.

The real estate prices are stagnant, along with the cost of living. I have done nothing to increase the price of my home $33,000.

I am on a fixed income, and this increase is not warranted.

I called the offices of County Executive Charlie Dooley and 6th District County Councilman Steve Stenger and did not receive a reply. These are our elected officials.

I remember years ago when Gov. Jay Nixon was running for office, he proposed not raising the real estate taxes for senior citizens.

I wonder what happened to that proposal?