No income tax in Texas is there? I paid over $3000 in state income tax last year. I haven’t filed yet but I usually owe the state some more so make it about $3500. Thats over $12,000 in property and income taxes. On top of that there is the sales tax and all the other fees and taxes you don’t think about. I wouldn’t bitch so much if the fraud waste and abuse at all levels of government wasn’t so obvious. As Dylan once said, “In Jersey everythings legal as long as you don’t get caught.”
Good Lord, how do you folks afford houses with those outrageously high tax bills? Are apartments more expensive because of the property tax on the buildings?
Tennesseans bitch and moan about their taxes, but with no income tax, relatively low property taxes and a relatively reasonable sales tax (9.75% in my county), I think we get off very easy.
StG
I don’t have the cite on hand, I think it was on the radio a while back. They said you have to earn at least an average of $45,000 a year to afford a 2 bedroom apartment in the state. (Average of course, there are cheaper areas to be found in the state)
The newspaper had a simple breakdown of the new property tax relief plan. Families earning less than 100k get 20% off, 100k to 150k 15% and 10% for 150k to 250k. Yippee. The law also put a cap on increases to 4%. So drop the saving figures by at least 4%. They don’t mention that they put so many loopholes in the law that the rates can quite easily get raised above 4% depending on where you live. They also gutted any bills that might reform how the state does its business. So even if the savings were real to the homeowner, the state is still broke and will need to get that money somehow. I’m guessing it will be from us.
*jaw bruised now
Washington State has no income tax either, yet we paid a little more than a third of that. I almost feel bad that we complained about it. Almost.