Tax Tax Tax

[Streetcar]

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.

Oosik
On average retirees have the highest wealth. In Ohio retirees can have school portion of tax reduced but they pay for other services

 

[buckeyefarmer]

But it's for the kids, lol

 

[mapper]

Property appraised at $217,000 here. County property tax is $1297.64. (If you lived in city, it would be double that) There is no separate school tax, no income tax, two vehicles run 20-24 bucks year (can't recall exactly) for tags, sales tax is 9.75% (6% on food), few smaller taxes on phone/tv/etc. Garbage pickup runs $16/mo IF you want it....county runs several dumpster stations scattered across county, no charge.

Public water is available much of the county (my valley is one of the exceptions, for which I'm glad....limits development), all roads are paved. EMS is county funded, some firemen are also (mix with volunteer).

Again....I can't see what paying nearly $5,000 more in property/school tax would get us....other than some highly overpaid public 'servants'.....

Ya'll need to get together and have a tax revolt in places like this.....there is simply no justification for that kind of tax rate.

Living in Thurston Co. Wa, property tax is about $3400 on 250k appraised value, 8.25 sales tax, no tax on food, no state income tax, +/- $60 tabs. Biggest expense is medical insurance.

 

[ultrarunner]

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.

I'm almost dollar for dollar matching to what I contribute for Thurston County schools... never had a child attend school in Washington... but I have already paid 85k to the school system...

 

[goeduck]

I'm almost dollar for dollar matching to what I contribute for Thurston County schools... never had a child attend school in Washington... but I have already paid 85k to the school system...

Is 85K a typo, I was under the impression you just bought up here?

 

[ultrarunner]

2005 was the planned big move...

85K might be a little high because the first year I paid tax that matched what I paid for the property... 18 months later the property tax increased 80% and it has been a wild ride ever since.

The ironic thing is I was getting $1600 rent and property tax was taking $1000 each month after the tax increase...

 

[check]

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....

What a bloody mess!

 

[goeduck]

All these qualifications as to who pays school taxes is for the birds. If you have kids in school you should pay for the schooling. As a society we benefit some from an educatated populace so there should be some base tax for that. But this idea that if you do not have the income you can put kids in school at someone else”s expense is nuts. Socialism is what that is.

 

[4570Man]

I don’t disagree but it would never work. It would end up like the medical system where you’re paying for yourself and about 5 others. The cost would be exorbitant and the ones pulling the wagon would leave and go to private school. Now who’s going to pay for the rest out of which half are probably losers.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Seems to me, those that have the MOST kids, don't pay at all!