Tax Tax Tax

[John Fitzgerald]

Ultrarunner,
Why wouldn't you move to a lower cost place when you retire?

 

[Oaktree]

Oaktree - I don't know why you would ever think that the retired folks are getting a free ride. I would venture that most retired folks have paid & paid & paid all sorts of taxes their entire working lives. Also, most retired are on a fixed income and have some degree of difficulty keeping up with ever increasing taxes coming from all directions.

Some day you may see the advantages to reduced taxes for the retired.

Well, for one thing I am (mostly) retired. As I said in my other post, I still use town services, why shouldn't I pay my share?

 

[ultrarunner]

Ultrarunner,
Why wouldn't you move to a lower cost place when you retire?

I'm the caregiver for Mom with Alzheimers... the familiar is very important for her and I am very much entrenched at least for the moment.

My thought was to move to Washington State but lower cost is subjective... my property tax there took a 80% jump one year and that was enough to make me appreciate California's Prop 13...

 

[goeduck]

I wouldn't mind seeing the school portion of my property tax reduced, but just because you're retired doesn't entitle you to free town services IMHO. You still need fire, police, road maintenance. The money's got to come from somewhere, not fair to increase the burden on working stiffs so geezers get a free ride.

Kids have been out of school for decades yet I pay $6,148 in annual school taxes on my property. Here is the real kicker though... of that $4,041 was VOTED ON according to the tax records. I wonder if the levies would have passed if only property holders voted and if people did the math ahead of time on what they would be paying.

I have NO issue paying for fire, police etc. In fact I would like to see better fire protection, roads, etc. and wish I could shift some of my tax money there.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Good schools are important to a good community.

 

[goeduck]

Good schools are important to a good community.

Yes they are but the taxes should be fair, distributed evenly and the schools need to do a better job teaching. Bang for buck, they are not where they should be.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Yes they are but the taxes should be fair, distributed evenly and the schools need to do a better job teaching. Bang for buck, they are not where they should be.

We have great public schools here.
In general, public anything tends to not worry about efficiency.

People can also make the argument that they live law abiding lifes, why do they pay so much for police. Or fire, etc

Privatizing schools would solve that issue. Only those that use it pays for it.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Speaking of even distribution, i grew up in a rural poor area, with ok schools, but nothing like where i live now. Our area got shorted in school funding all the time, the cities got the funds. School levies always failed, there was a high school for 20 yrs in all portable buildings. Well now that area is raking in tax money due to oil and gas. Politicians are stealing their school money to send to the cities. Its because population centers rule taxes. Look at new york, the whole state is being choked in taxes due to NYC politicians.

 

[MossRoad]

We have great public schools here.
In general, public anything tends to not worry about efficiency.

People can also make the argument that they live law abiding lifes, why do they pay so much for police. Or fire, etc

Privatizing schools would solve that issue. Only those that use it pays for it.

Here in Indiana they have a school voucher program. Basically, you can send your kid to any school other than public that accepts Indiana vouchers, and Indiana will pay for it up to about $4600 per year, per kid. But you have to make under $68,265 per year for a family of 4. So, if you're lower middle class, you can get free private school. Not too fair to folks that make over $68,265 per year at all. It should be an all or none kind of deal.

Anyway, the program is devastating enrollment in public schools like South Bend, IN. Parents know the schools suck, so they put their kids into the private schools. However, the public schools suck, because of the kids that are there and the discipline issues, mostly, and not because of the curriculum, mostly. So now many of the private schools are limiting how many vouchers (if any) they'll accept, because they don't want the discipline problems. The public schools lose money each time a kid moves to a private school and gets a voucher. The money follows the kid. The teachers' union in the public schools is up in arms because they're losing jobs as enrollment drops. As teachers, they should be happy the kids are getting a better education in the private schools. But they aren't happy, because, well, its a teachers' union mentality. So they hate the voucher system, the governor, the private schools, etc... even though the kids are getting a better education in the private schools where teachers are paid way less.... hmmmm.... getting paid less and turning out better results. hmmmmm..... maybe its the public school's administration and teachers' unions that are the problems? hmmmm....

 

[Industrial Toys]

As long as a segment of the population still have money, the Government will take it and give it to themselves and those that don't. Oh, and just plain throw lots away in the process.

Some might even argue, that if you have the money to buy a vehicle, you shouldn't complain.