This is sad, wanna work for 7 dollars an hour?

[newguy88]

Town wants to let seniors work off taxes - CNN.com

Oh well.

[Spanky]

$12,000 per year property tax is nuts for a $470K house ( Town of Greenburgh - Assessor's Office). It may be true that taxes are used to support excellent schools, libraries, police and fire services, but that's just too high - IMHO. I suspect the county pays teachers, police and fire fighters well (for their outstanding services) but offers only $7 an hour for the seniors who cannot afford to pay property taxes?!

[sunshine]

Well I pay $1,200 property tax on a $47K home so I don't see $12,000 on a $470K home to be that outrageous...

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunshine Well I pay $1,200 property tax on a $47K home so I don't see $12,000 on a $470K home to be that outrageous...

Don't forget that is cost just as much to put out a fire in your house as it would in a mansion; if you have kids it would cost just as much to educate them as those of your neighbors in a mansion. Snow removal to get to your house would be no cheaper than to the homes of your big house neighbors. Police to patrol your neighborhood would cost as much or maybe more than patrols into wealthy districts.

So you are paying a pretty rate for your services.

Ha

[Spanky]

Our county (in Minnesota) has a tax rate of $12.00 per $1,000 of value. The school system is one of the best in the country.

[OAG]

It is just sad in MHO. The real problem is why are the taxes so high? Why are older people still paying for School Taxes? What happens to the seniors that cannot work or those that can now but can't later? Reduce expenses, come up with a way to reduce taxes for those that cannot pay. This is no solution at all just a way for the Government to keep the tax collections up and keep funding all of the pet projects.

[2B]

Quote:

Originally Posted by R Wood It is just sad in MHO. The real problem is why are the taxes so high? Why are older people still paying for School Taxes? What happens to the seniors that cannot work or those that can now but can't later? Reduce expenses, come up with a way to reduce taxes for those that cannot pay. This is no solution at all just a way for the Government to keep the tax collections up and keep funding all of the pet projects.

In Texas it's not unusual for someone with a $200,000 home to pay $5,000 per year in property tax. With a $600,000 home, that could easily be $18,000.

That's one of the traps I see for ER in Texas. Property value for the "big one" (school taxes) gets frozen when the person "homesteading" the property reaches 65 but it will keep climbing until then. School tax rates can be increased which will increase their tax bill and they do. The other taxes keep on rolling up. All of this is causing many problems with people not being able to afford to stay in their homes -- both retired and not. Texas has a very aggressive posture in pushing the appraised value of property and many people appeal their taxes every year.

Texas not having an income tax creates the false illusion that moving to Texas will save you taxes. The only way it will is if you live in a very inexpensive place. That's why I'm looking at moving from Texas. I can manipulate my income in retirement but I can't do anything about the property tax bill except move.

Not to mention the scorpions and ebola.....

[lets-retire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2B Not to mention the scorpions.......

Don't you watch Man vs. Wild those scorpions are a free source of protein.

[Dawg52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lets-retire Don't you watch Man vs. Wild those scorpions are a free source of protein.

I quit watching it when he started drinking his own urine.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2B Texas not having an income tax creates the false illusion that moving to Texas will save you taxes. The only way it will is if you live in a very inexpensive place. That's why I'm looking at moving from Texas. I can manipulate my income in retirement but I can't do anything about the property tax bill except move.

You don't have to move out of state! You just have to avoid owning real property, or own an inexpensive piece of property - very easy in TX since real property values are so much lower than the rest of the country.

Audrey

[JPatrick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 own an inexpensive piece of property - very easy in TX since real property values are so much lower than the rest of the country. Audrey

Yup, that works on paper, and if you live in the typical TX city the cheaper you go the bigger the gun you'll want to protect your "tax saver."

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPatrick Yup, that works on paper, and if you live in the typical TX city the cheaper you go the bigger the gun you'll want to protect your "tax saver."

LOL! In the first place, don't live in a TX city! There are lots of great towns - cheaper and safer.

Second, the only times I've heard gunfire in a city I was in other states.

Audrey

[UncleHoney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by R Wood It is just sad in MHO. The real problem is why are the taxes so high? Why are older people still paying for School Taxes? What happens to the seniors that cannot work or those that can now but can't later? Reduce expenses, come up with a way to reduce taxes for those that cannot pay. This is no solution at all just a way for the Government to keep the tax collections up and keep funding all of the pet projects.

My mom and dad lived in Worthington Hills (off 315) for about 35 years. My dad made the observation one time that the "high rollers" would move into the area, vote for all the school levies, and then move when the kids were out of school or get transfered. That left the longtime residents holding the bag for the taxes. When new people moved in there would be another round of tax increases.

Speaking of property taxes, did you get in on the Homestead Exemption for us Buckeyes? MY taxes went down about $385. DW put us over the line this year.

[wallygator69]

Quote:

Originally Posted by R Wood It is just sad in MHO. The real problem is why are the taxes so high? Why are older people still paying for School Taxes? What happens to the seniors that cannot work or those that can now but can't later? Reduce expenses, come up with a way to reduce taxes for those that cannot pay. This is no solution at all just a way for the Government to keep the tax collections up and keep funding all of the pet projects.

Ya'll should move to Dixie.

South Carolina just increased the sales tax by 1% and took most of the School expenses off of the Real Estate taxes (let the tourists help, theory). My house is appraised at $200k could still sell it in this market for $330k tomorrow and probably $375K if we worked it.

2008 Property Taxes are $815.00..

W

[rs0460a]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallygator69 Ya'll should move to Dixie.

Ummm - no...

Been there - done that.

- Ron

[Robert the Red]

Quote:

Originally Posted by R Wood Why are older people still paying for School Taxes?

When I lived in Fox Point WI (prop taxes about 3.5% of value), there was a letter in the local paper by a 75 year old complaining about just that -- he said he had 12 kids go through school, and was tired of paying school taxes all these years, and thought that seniors should not have to pay for schools any more since they wouldn't have any kids in the system. My response was (and is) that all the property taxes he paid in his life did not pay for the 12*12 years of public education his kids got -- people like him are made up for by people like me who don't have kids, don't plan to have kids, and still pay taxes to support the schools.

As for fairness -- well, the property tax is somewhat unfair, since it has to be paid out of income -- the income tax is fairer, but people whine and complain bitterly about that, too.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by R Wood It is just sad in MHO. The real problem is why are the taxes so high? Why are older people still paying for School Taxes?

I don't get what is 'sad' about this. It just *is*.

One of the things that helps keep property values up is a good school district. Everybody pays for that in their property taxes, whether they have kids in the schools or not. No one changed the rules on them mid-stream, so it should be no surprise. Deal with it (to be blunt).

My property taxes are high, and it is factored into my ER plan. If things don't go so well, I will decide to downsize. Maybe I'll be 'sad' if it comes to that, but I don't expect my neighbors to pick up the tab for me, just so I can keep living in the 'style in which I've become accustomed'.

The county is offering them a job - if they don't want it, don't take it. But why complain?

-ERD50

[OAG]

Got the HS for OH this year taxes went down $518.08; now the bill is $6.7K versus $7.4K and that also accounts for SMALL successful BOR challenge this past year for about $130. With this level of RE Property Taxes I am paying them twice in one year so that I can itemize in the year I pay them and use the standard deduction in the alternative years. State Income Taxes will go down this year (2008 now that OH has joined about 40 other states in exempting Military Retired Pay from State Taxes. You have to really stay on top of the tax situation.

[UncleHoney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by R Wood Got the HS for OH this year taxes went down $518.08; now the bill is $6.7K versus $7.4K and that also accounts for SMALL successful BOR challenge this past year for about $130. With this level of RE Property Taxes I am paying them twice in one year so that I can itemize in the year I pay them and use the standard deduction in the alternative years. State Income Taxes will go down this year (2008 now that OH has joined about 40 other states in exempting Military Retired Pay from State Taxes. You have to really stay on top of the tax situation.

Plus we got another little kickback, 4.2%.

The Columbus Dispatch : Income tax drops 4.2% for Ohioans

[A854321]

Wow, Greenburg pays about 10X the taxes that I do.

I pay about $1300/year on a home of about $500K