No income tax on pension income in Maine???

[Leonidas]

PS. My state's law prohibits shooting from a vehicle. May be true in Texas also, but I did not know then to ask this guy. But I guess in the boondocks, who would know?

Only if the vehicle is on a public road, or the shot goes across a public road. It is generally against the law to discharge a firearm in a public place (e.g. the mall parking lot) unless it is a shooting range. Private property is no problem. In fact, in some parts of the state, the preferred method is to use specialized hunting vehicles that can be driven from a rooftop hunting blind.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Not quite. You are legally bound to report the purchase to the state of WA and pay a tax of about 6% - the states share of the local sales tax.

 

[ohyes]

No, you're really not missing anything - some of this is just Texican-Bantering. We don't mind y'all coming here on vacations, we just want you to.... how do I politely say this.... go home.

No worries. We are visiting San Antonio in March, but promise not to stay. I think it's wonderful when folks love their home states that much! We like Arkansas a lot, but don't care to retire in this part--Fayetteville area might work, though. We are in central AR and that is a bit too hot/humid for our Utopian retirement ideal. DH is from MA and always wanted to retire there, but is backing off from that plan now that he understands the dollar aspect more.

I PROMISE we will NOT retire in Texas

 

[NW-Bound]

Only if the vehicle is on a public road, or the shot goes across a public road.

I just found the law I referred to. It is obviously different here than in Texas.

In Arizona, it is illegal to hunt from any vehicle. OHV rules and laws designate:

No one may use a motor vehicle to assist in the taking of wildlife (except as permitted under the Challenged Hunter Access Mobility Permit, A.R.S. 17-301B).

An off-highway vehicle may only be used as a means of travel and NOT as a hunting aid.

Cross-country travel is not allowed in most areas, unless you are picking up legally taken big game. (Some areas do not allow even that.)
If you see anyone hunting from an ATV, call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-352-0700.​

How does one interpret the first and second clauses? I do see hunters using quad when I go dirt bike riding. I guess it means one cannot use a quad to chase game, similarly to what one does on horseback. It is however legal to ride the quad into the forest on designated trails where allowed, dismount, then go after game on foot.


PS. Arizona law also prohibits discharge of a firearm within any municipality limit, except of course at gun clubs or public ranges. It is also prohibited within 1 mile of any occupied structure, or across a road, etc...

 

[Brat]

Not quite. You are legally bound to report the purchase to the state of WA and pay a tax of about 6% - the states share of the local sales tax.

Darn, and I do mean DARN, few WA residents do that. Have you noticed the size of the Costco, Home Depot, Target and Ikea just south of the interstate the bridge?

 

[Koolau]

I have been to Maine in the summer time (near as I can tell, that's about June 30 to Aug. 15. As it happens, even though we use the word "winter" in Hawaii, it's always actually "summer" here (in dis haole's opinion). Now, Hawaii exempts most pension income AND SS from State income tax.

You do the math.

 

[l2ridehd]

Or NH, no state sales or income tax.

 

[audreyh1]

That's good!

However, there's an easy solution, useful for even hunters with legs. Years ago, I worked with a Texan. He said he used to shoot javelinas, standing in his pickup bed. He said once the first got shot, the rest of them got furious, and they were indeed fast! Ugh!


PS. My state's law prohibits shooting from a vehicle. May be true in Texas also, but I did not know then to ask this guy. But I guess in the boondocks, who would know?

No need to shoot javelinas! They are stinky, but they don't tear up the ground like the feral hogs do. I used to see javelinas every day, but they disappeared from the next door park after the Rio Grande flood of 2010. Can't say I miss them! These were nice and friendly ones, but they can get vicious so you don't want to make them mad.

That kid with the downed hog. Hope the kid was kneeling and I think we had some foreshortening with a wide angle lens. But still, dang!

Don't know what the laws are now, but when my husband was growing up in TX they hunted deer from a pick-up truck.

Audrey

 

[REWahoo]

No need to shoot javelinas! They are stinky, but they don't tear up the ground like the feral hogs do.
...they can get vicious so you don't want to make them mad.

A few years back three javelinas ran up a big vet bill on me when they attacked my old Lab in our back yard and almost killed her. She had 8 or 9 deep gashes in her sides and underbelly. I managed to kill one of them than night with a 22 pistol (definitely a shot in the dark) and got the other two a few weeks later with a 12 gauge.

Haven't seen any javelinas around since, but plenty of feral hogs still roam my back four...

 

[Bimmerbill]

Yeah, no income or sales tax in NH. They get you on property taxes. I do believe the overall tax burden is lower tho.

 

[NW-Bound]

Don't know the reason my Texan friend shot javelinas, but he ate them. I remember he said the meat was gamey, and he just made tacos with the ground meat.

I myself never have problems with javelinas. Not up in my second home "in the mountain", nor at the low desert main home, though I have seen them in both places. Though my main home is in the suburb of a big metropolis, I am 1/2 mile from a mountain preserve. In my 20+ years in this area, this is the first year I have seen coyotes running down the streets in the morning. Saw droppings in the middle of the streets too. Thought it was dog feces, then my neighbor reminded me that it was the coyotes.

Then, recently saw javelina droppings too, though they came only in the night. For years, my brother who lives a lot closer to the preserve has his garbage can upturned by javelinas on the daily basis. Something is happening for them to get out of the preserve more and more.

 

[East Texas]

I discovered shooting a feral hog and letting it bleed out has kept the darn things out of the hay meadow so far. It's convenient that we can shoot the hogs from the front porch. Plus it becomes dinner and a movie a few days later when the turkey vultures pay a visit.

 

[Amethyst]

The "win" for the states being:

• Retirees with pensions have guaranteed incomes, so rarely hit the welfare rolls;

• Military retirees (and some others as well) have guaranteed health insurance, so no going on Medicaid for them;

• Retirees pay property taxes, which pays for schools, which they don't use;

• Retirees generally don't hit the roads day after day, as working folks do;
• You don't hear of retirees going on crime sprees very often, though I"m sure it happens.

So, what could be that break-even or "tipping" point you refer to? The driving out of productive working-age folks, due to old folks taking over the mall with their daily walks, dictating the movies that will be shown, and mandating that dinner hour be moved back to 5 p.m.?

Amethyst

e.

Realistically, all the states are courting the retirees because they inject money into a community and rarely put a strain on welfare-type resources. It's pretty much a win-win until that break-even point of population and resources is hit.

.

 

[East Texas]

The "win" for the states being:

• Retirees with pensions have guaranteed incomes, so rarely hit the welfare rolls;

• Military retirees (and some others as well) have guaranteed health insurance, so no going on Medicaid for them;

• Retirees pay property taxes, which pays for schools, which they don't use;

• Retirees generally don't hit the roads day after day, as working folks do;
• You don't hear of retirees going on crime sprees very often, though I"m sure it happens.

So, what could be that break-even or "tipping" point you refer to? The driving out of productive working-age folks, due to old folks taking over the mall with their daily walks, dictating the movies that will be shown, and mandating that dinner hour be moved back to 5 p.m.?

Amethyst

I do not disagree with you. What you said is right out of the textbook. It's just not that easy, especially with the first two items on your list. The problem is life seems to throw little surprises.

What happens when income can't keep up with inflation and purchasing power degrades? What happens when a true emergency comes up and there's just not enough money to cover it? If this happened to us, we'd have to use the food pantry at the church. And that is a finite resource.

As for health insurance, I'm glad we have it in our retirement. However, it's not guaranteed. It could be pulled at any point and we're below Medicare age. We would need to use the subsidized clinic in the next town for medical care if we could even get there. If our medical situation deteriorated too much, we'd have to rely on the social welfare programs to help out.

As long as we stay healthy, have pretty secure income that keeps up with inflation with zero to minimal risk, have health insurance, can keep paying property taxes (freeze rates at age 65, not the value of the property), and have mental and emotional stability, we'll be OK. Not everyone is that fortunate.

 

[ziggy29]

IMO, if a state is going to exempt pension income from state income taxes, it should also exempt IRA withdrawals. For retirees without a defined benefit pension plan, the IRA (or rollover IRA or 401k) is effectively their pension, and should be treated likewise.

This would include 401K income if the governor gets his way (my emphasis added below):

LePage advances plan to remove income tax from retiree pensions | Sun Journal

On Thursday, LePage stressed that he would first move to eliminate the income tax from military retiree pensions. However, he stressed that his goal was to remove all income tax from all retirement pension plans.
The following is how much it will cost the state in revenues to eliminate the income tax on certain classes of employees, according to the Maine Revenue Service:
* $14 million from exempting Maine Public Employee Retirement System income (teachers & state workers).
* $13 million from exempting federal civilian employee pension income (excluding postal workers).
* $11 million from exempting military pension income.
* $55 million from exempting private sector pension income (401ks & other pensions, but not IRAs).
LePage has previously floated the idea. However, he indicated Thursday that his new proposal would become legislation when lawmakers reconvene in January.

Not sure why postal worker pensions are excluded, unless they are already otherwise favored.

 

[friar1610]

A few years ago, Ohio realized that they could keep more of the good people retiring from Wright-Patterson AFB (one of the biggest military bases in the country) by exempting military retirement pay from state income tax.

From what I've heard, this has worked out well for the state as well as the retirees. Being a rust belt state, Ohio is in a somewhat similar position as Maine (we lost two seats in Congress this census period).

I have mixed emotions about this. On one hand, I'd absolutely love to have my military pension exempt from state income tax. (I live in VT, a high income tax state.) On the other hand, if it ever came down to a choice, I'd prefer to see the exemption given to active duty troops, particularly junior enlisted who need the break a helluva lot more than I do.

IIRC, when I lived in MD there was an exemption on a portion of military retired pay but it only applied to enlisted folks.

 

[Chester_A._Riley]

Pennsylvania exempts all retirement income, I believe, even 401k withdrawals.

 

[web_diva]

For the last few years Money Magazine rates Delaware as the 2nd cheapest place to retire, all things considered (income tax, property tax, sales tax, cost of living). Alaska is predictably #1 due to its oil revenue profit sharing with its citizens.

See this link for more details about which states tax what: Taxes by State