Renting your house from the Government!

[PRICEPLUS]

You don't fully own your home..the government does. Don't pay taxes(rent) to the government and see who really owns your home and property!

[Elgin526]

Don't pay your county the tax money it needs and see how your fire department, police department, county hospitals, road repairs and schools just disapear.

That money to fund those services has to come from somewhere. If you didn't pay it in property taxes you'd pay it in some other form of tax. Either way it's taxes.

[PRICEPLUS]

Elgin, my roads are crappy. The Fire Department is volunteer. The Police are some of the highest paid in the nation. The hospitals are privately owned with the exception of the county one which is horrible. The schools are good but what if you have no kids?

Duplication of services and hefty pay raises for the politicos is the order of the day here. There is redundancy on so many levels due to patronage jobs. Wasting taxpayer money is the order of the day. Bottom line is still that the government owns your property!

[Elgin526]

If your county is poorly run, it's the fault of those that run it and they should be held accountable (do you vote in local elections, EVERY election or just in Presidential years? If you do vote all the time, good for you!). But if it was run better, they'd still need the tax money, right?. And btw, your firefighters are voluteer, but who pays for the equipment and training? My guess is the county! And don't even start with the "I don't have kids I shouldn't pay for schools". If you like doctors and accountants and engineers, believe me, you want to pay for schools even if you don't have kids! It's in everyone's best interest to have a well educated population (and yes some school districts suck but that's education reform not tax reform).

Okay, what's your solution? Your county say's "No more property tax". But, they still need money to run county services. How should you be taxed instead? And what is the county's recourse if a person doesn't pay it?

[pearlieq]

Originally Posted by Elgin526

Don't pay your county the tax money it needs and see how your fire department, police department, county hospitals, road repairs and schools just disapear.

Not to mention your ability to vote, animal control, vital records, and jail!

While I agree that there are often problems in local government, reform is the order of the day, not abolition.

I guess I don't understand what the intent of your OP was. Are you just venting? I can see why anyone would--ineptitude and waste are always frustrating. But if not, I really don't get what you're suggesting.

At any rate, if it bothers you that much, why not try to do something about the problem? Go to your county board meetings and register to speak. Meet with your elected officials. Get a group together and develop a petition. Run for office yourself.

[Gruntina]

A couple years ago (in Bay Area, Cali)... the property tax changed and no longer go to the local schools but now going to the war or national debts. I would not fully believe our tax dollars are going fully towards what we are led to believe.

[sweeps]

Originally Posted by Gruntina

A couple years ago (in Bay Area, Cali)... the property tax changed and no longer go to the local schools but now going to the war or national debts. I would not fully believe our tax dollars are going fully towards what we are led to believe.

Really? I don't see how that is legal?

[Gruntina]

first it goes to State's debts... but State has to pay federal?

[sweeps]

Unless there's something really strange going on in the Bay Area, your property taxes should go toward local and county expenditures. Only your federal income taxes should go toward federal expenditures, such as national defense and interest on the debt.

[Gruntina]

I am doing some online surfing for the article. I remember it was a huge problem because our schools in the area were already in debts and teachers were outrage and it became a bigger problem when they got the news that the school district will receive a much lesser percentage of funds from property taxes because the state was in debts in another area. I can't remember what that debt was as now doing online search. I will let you know what I find but I think this is scary and I believe it because I see my friends having to pay for more supplies for their children at school every year.

[greedy4chips]

Originally Posted by PRICEPLUS

The hospitals are privately owned with the exception of the county one which is horrible.

This is why many feel a national health plan would be a mistake. I wish I knew more about the whole subject besides all the partisan rhetoric.

[tabbycat31]

Originally Posted by PRICEPLUS

Elgin, my roads are crappy. The Fire Department is volunteer. The Police are some of the highest paid in the nation. The hospitals are privately owned with the exception of the county one which is horrible. The schools are good but what if you have no kids?

I think that schools are an investment to the community whether you have kids or not. Even for resale value alone, would you rather buy from a community where the schools are good, and the kids grow to be productive and successful adults, or from a community that does not value education and the kids grow to be drug dealers and streetwalkers. Education is the foundation of a strong community. I view it as the "it takes a village to raise a child" philosophy

[PRICEPLUS]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am rather vexed about my high taxes. This thread has been me venting. Apparently, I have offended some to the point of making them leave in anger. Thus, I apologize to all here and will keep my posts innocuous from here on in.

Again, I apologize to you all and especially Matthew Green. Sorry.

[rooskers]

Now I am for paying your taxes because while some of the money is wasted in the political process much of it does go toward needed services for the community. However I do agree with the part that you do not own your home if you have to pay property taxes, the government does. This has been a huge problem in the town I live in because real estate prices have gone through the roof and some of the older people in the town bought their house in the 40's or earlier and now their houses are being reassessed and they can't afford the property taxes which means they are forced to sell or lose the house. I don't mind paying taxes but I hate the property tax since I feel that if you own your home you should own it not the government.

[Elgin526]

Originally Posted by rooskers

Now I am for paying your taxes because while some of the money is wasted in the political process much of it does go toward needed services for the community. However I do agree with the part that you do not own your home if you have to pay property taxes, the government does. This has been a huge problem in the town I live in because real estate prices have gone through the roof and some of the older people in the town bought their house in the 40's or earlier and now their houses are being reassessed and they can't afford the property taxes which means they are forced to sell or lose the house. I don't mind paying taxes but I hate the property tax since I feel that if you own your home you should own it not the government.

Doesn't your area have a senior exemption? Most areas have limits on how much property taxes can increase for people over 65. I know mine does, you just have to apply with the state and it's simple, it's a three lines on the same form you apply for the homestead exemption. Around here, I beleive your taxes get locked in and can't go up unless they actually raise the property tax rate, which since that requires a referendum on an election ballot, has a snowballs chance of actually passing.

I don't view it as renting from the government. They don't own my house, they aren't my land lord. I can do whatever I want with the house/property that I wish. But as a property owner I have the responsibilty to pay taxes on that property. If I don't, they place a tax lien on it until I pay up or sell the home (then the lein gets paid before anyone else does, including the mortgage company!), and if I fail to pay for MANY years and don't sell, only then do they seize it for back taxes and auction it off. The mortgage company can forclose on a house faster than a county can seize it for taxes.

And speaking of mortgages, unless your house is paid off, you bank is the one that owns it, not you. You just get to live there while paying them back!

Look at this another way. What happens if you fail to pay your federal income tax? Does the IRS just send you angry letters? Heck no! They give you a chance to make it right, and if not, they take you to court. And if you still can't pay, they'll start seizing assets (like your house!) to cover the back taxes. Property taxes are no differant, only the county is limited to just seizing your property.

[kimiko]

Yes, the government owns everything. You don't pay your rent, you get a lien against your property, you don't pay (what would an income tax be - fee for the right to work?) you get jailed by the IRS. There is no such thing as opt out I was watching Bill Gate and Warren Buffett Back to School on KQED last night, and I was outraged like them about our country's favortism of the riches, when they spoke about their taxes. They complained that their workers are paying a much higher tax than they do, 12% of payroll tax for the first 80k-90k and then income tax after that.

[markio26]

thanks for posting this... it is true all of the comments that i read... we all have to look up to or after someone or something... i simply say, my life is not my own... others own my lifestyle too...