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Is it by accident that they show up the day AFTER Thanksgiving... Ugh... :frown:KennyV

KennyV said:

Is it by accident that they show up the day AFTER Thanksgiving... Ugh... :frown:KennyV

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Good Tax Deduction..........$5,500..........rates in Aussie......

KennyV said:

Is it by accident that they show up the day AFTER Thanksgiving... Ugh... :frown:KennyV

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Mine went DOWN a whole nine bucks...after 19 years of going up $50 to $110 every year...WOW. Lady across the road from us has been trying to sell her house for four years now, her price has gone from $199 grand to just under $150 grand, her taxes have gone up just like mine have and this year hers went down a whole five bucks.

Later on, I am going to post a rant about property taxes...thanks for giving me a foot in the door.

KennyV said:

Is it by accident that they show up the day AFTER Thanksgiving... Ugh... :frown:KennyV

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Now, about those taxes...I envy those who live in states where schools DO NOT get the bulk of their funding from property taxes. My current tab is about $3500 a year for taxes, and about two thirds of it go to support various educational institutions. AND WHY am I required to pay one dime to schools when nobody in my family attends them? My in-laws are in their 80's now, they are retired and Social Security provides the majority of their income. THey have had no children in the local school system since 1974 !!! And they still pay 2 grand a year to support the schools..WHY?? Let the people whose children are in the schools pay the tab, not property owners in general. I know that education is important, but there are many states that DO NOT get the bulk of their school funding from property taxes. It should be that way EVERYPLACE.

Now, another thing that galls me about property taxes...I own 11 acres with 450 feet of road frontage and a house that would sell for about 300 grand, thanks to all the sweat equity and improvements I have poured into the place over 21 years. When I moved here, the house was a 900 square foot shambles and an eyesore that had sat vacant for many years...now it's 2450 square feet of completely renovated home that is an asset to the neighborhood. Now, you can probably guess what happened to my property taxes over the years...because I put all that work and time into bettering the neighborhood, the local assessor has jacked my taxes up nearly 4X what they formerly were...now, suppose somebody purchased the lot next door, the absolute minimum size lot permissable, and build a run down crackerbox on the lot. Who would pay more in taxes? ME, OF COURSE. If I had kids, would they get better schooling than the kids next door? Would I get better police and fire protection than Mr. Crackerbox does? Would the county road commission maintain the 450 feet of road in front of me better than the 100 feet of roadfront next door? You can guess what my point is, by now. Property taxes, in my opinion, are the biggest swindle ever foisted onto the middle class in our nation. I would support an increase in the sales tax, rather than endure the unfair property tax system we currently have, as the primary means of raising local government revenue.

Thanks for letting me have my say.

JDgreen said:

local assessor has jacked my taxes up nearly 4X what they formerly were...

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Without a doubt property taxes are designed to prevent you from wanting to 'improve' any piece of realestate...

KennyV said:

Without a doubt property taxes are designed to prevent you from wanting to 'improve' any piece of realestate...

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That is exactly what I mean...why are homeowners penalized because they want to improve their property? The family next door had the basement finished on their new house, of course they didn't bother to get permits, because they didn't want to get reassessed and pay higher taxes. And no permits mean no inspections, which means no permit income for the local township and county, and possibly work done not to code.

Doesn't that seem stupid...??? Why encourage such situations???:confused2:

my taxes went up,I live on a gravel road and might see a grader once a month.my kids are grown but I still pay for schools.The fire dept is voultneer and is 10miles away,I pay for some library I have no clue where it 's located a cemetary where I won't be buried ,my house and property is paid off except it really isn't cause of property taxes.If I don't pay them then the man takes my house and land and would throw me in the pokie for nonpayement.I save my federal tax return to pay my property tax!Is something wrong with this pitcure? russ

173abn said:

my taxes went up,I live on a gravel road and might see a grader once a month.my kids are grown but I still pay for schools.The fire dept is voultneer and is 10miles away,I pay for some library I have no clue where it 's located a cemetary where I won't be buried ,my house and property is paid off except it really isn't cause of property taxes.If I don't pay them then the man takes my house and land and would throw me in the pokie for nonpayement.I save my federal tax return to pay my property tax!Is something wrong with this pitcure? russ

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As my dad in law says...we are being taxed to death...as my mom-in-law says, the Lord giveth, and the government taketh, taketh, taketh....

And now they are quarrelling about whether to renew the Bush tax c---OOPS, I almost got into the territory of the forbidden "P" word here...sorry 'bout that.....:laughing:

More interesting to me than your question is the fact that only 7 people have post on this thread.

I agree with JDgreen in principle, however it easy to calculate the cost of public education but impossible to calculate the cost of nothing but private education or education but for the wealthy.
I would be less relcutant to pay for a school system that was at least adequate. I realize this is a gross generalization however our schools, those paid for by the taxes, are in disgraceful condition as a whole.
Thomas jefferson is one among many credited with purposful oragnization of the foundation of our public school system.
"Of all the views of this law [for public education], none is more important, none more legitimate, than that of rendering the people the safe as they are the ultimate guardians of their own liberty." --Thomas Jefferson


Back to taxes; Ever wonder how we as americans can be responsible for a 13 trillion dollar tax deficit?
I mean how much money is there anyway? Where does it come from? Ever wonder just how fragile is our economy and the stock markets. Why is it that wall street executives (bankers if you will) are entitled to bonuses commonly in excess of a million dollars annually? How hard is that job anyway?
It occured to me that my view of money must be quite different than thiers.
My vision/version of monetary theory is a result of the public school system "Nothing is certain other than death and taxes". I always considered money as something you folded up and put in your pocket or kept in the bank. Not long ago I handed the clerk a hundred dollar bill for groceries. She examined it, drew on it with her special pen, then called the junior manager on duty over to give his expert opinion. He looked at it quickly and decided it was counterfeit, it wasn't but it didn't matter, he believed it was. It was his belief that gave the note value, not mine. Up until this point I had not considered what I kept in my wallet as anything other than money, yet in this instance it had no value. It was only paper, no more valuable than the receipt I was given when I left the store.
The bill was an old one ,1976 series and these young people were not familiar with it as it had none of the anti-counterfiet measures tha new bills have.
I was confounded by this and was determined to learn more about money and it's origins. I found this video which was quite informative, long but well worth the time. It explains a lot, a lot about money. It interests me as to the implications regarding taxes and government.
Money As Debt

Do you pay Land tax and council rates or Both?...........as it can be very expensive in australia.
Born Free........Taxed to Death..........lol

UP !

House is only 6 years old (no need to improve since I designed it and had it built to my design) in 6 years the tax has nearly doubled even with property (real estate) values going down. AND we pau personal property tax (cars, trucks, boats, trailers, etc.) The assesed value of both our vehicles is higher this year than last (when have you ever seen a vehicle go up in value with another year and higher miles (other than an antque classic) ???

All this due to less federal and state $ coming into the local area. Thanks to current administration, senate, and congress ! :thumbdown:

BKBrown said:

UP !

House is only 6 years old (no need to improve since I designed it and had it built to my design) in 6 years the tax has nearly doubled even with property (real estate) values going down. AND we pau personal property tax (cars, trucks, boats, trailers, etc.) The assesed value of both our vehicles is higher this year than last (when have you ever seen a vehicle go up in value with another year and higher miles (other than an antque classic) ???

All this due to less federal and state $ coming into the local area. Thanks to current administration, senate, and congress ! :thumbdown:

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Here in Michigan, the voting public passed a proposal back in the middle 90's that limited the amount the local assessor can raise your taxes per year. However, if you sell your property they can immediately reassess it for the new owner to bring the taxes in line with current market value, and they do..same with new construction, my next door neighbors (3 of them) had new homes built about 2004, their lots and houses are smaller than mine but their taxes are nearly the same because of the proposal that was passed. But once the initial rate is set, they are getting increases like mine...limited to a certain amount per year.

While the proposal does limit tax increases for long term homeowners, it makes them reluctant to sell and buy another home, because whatever they buy will be reassessed for a big jump in taxes, despite the sharp decline in housing prices here. Although my taxes went down by the $9 this year, which is a tiny amount compared to the $3500 total yearly bill, multiply that by the thousands of properties in the township and it's a huge loss of income. To try and make up the decrease, my township has recently begun adding permit fees, inspection fees, etc. If I want to reroof a building, I need to buy a permit. To replace a window, a permit. If the window is a different size thatn the old one, A PERMIT AND INSPECTION FEES. HOW STUPID. It's my property, BLEEP their stupid permits.

Like most my property taxes have gone UP every year... A lot over the past 5 years, but raised every year for the last 10.

KennyV

JDgreen said:

That is exactly what I mean...why are homeowners penalized because they want to improve their property? The family next door had the basement finished on their new house, of course they didn't bother to get permits, because they didn't want to get reassessed and pay higher taxes. And no permits mean no inspections, which means no permit income for the local township and county, and possibly work done not to code.

Doesn't that seem stupid...??? Why encourage such situations???:confused2:

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This law requiring permission from the county to change or enlarge your living space is a way to transfer private sector income to public sector income. In good economic times, it'a a way for your local government to generate another income stream while at the same time create jobs.
Currently, with a stagnated economy, it works in reverse. Imagine if there were a suspension on the permit requirement. With building materials at low prices those of us still employed would spend money, hire help or contract out these projects, stimulating cash flow and creating jobs. Enlarging our homes, for a variety of reasons, or adding another house to the property to help out family members that need it.
Yes there are some that would build substandardly, but at thier own risk and expense. Any risks associated from substandard building are quickly transfered to the owner of the property in this the land of the lawyers.

Most building codes are necessary but created by the same industry and it's associations /lobbyist that profit from the sale of same building materials. Any risks associated from substandard building are quickly transfered to the owner of the property in this the land of the lawyers.

4 years ago our state was in a turmoil over the skyrocketing rise in property taxes that coincided with a rise in property values. So much so our population acutally remained the same or declined. Our politicians used this as a ploy to get reelected or elected, promising to lower property taxes. Maybe it happened maybe it didn't as the tax code is to complicated for the average american to figure out. Calculating milege rates is riduculous for somone who has the minumum education. My taxes dropped only slightly, less than 4% over 2 years and have gone up this year. We have a law in our state that forbids more than 3% increase annually.
I for one am frustrated with paying for inefficient and ineffective government. I have no interest in anyone particular political affilition, I can state with certainty that binary, bipartisan nonsense that is occuring now is a cancer in our politcal system and must stop.

Well I am off to PAY for new tags...
Just noticed that tag renewal is also UP this year...
Got the letter a few wks ago but didn't notice the amount... I think I am going to sell a couple cars that I don't really need to tag... KennyV

We are lucky enough to live in a state where we get to pay property taxes taxes twice each year - school taxes in September, then county taxes in January. The amount we paid TOTAL for the two combined in 1999 is what we now pay EACH in Sept and again in Jan. What a glorious state.

KennyV said:

Well I am off to PAY for new tags...
Just noticed that tag renewal is also UP this year...
Got the letter a few wks ago but didn't notice the amount... I think I am going to sell a couple cars that I don't really need to tag... KennyV

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Kenny...how many cars do you need, anyhow? Wife and I tag a Y2K Yukon XL 2500 (mine) '04 Lesabre (hers) '04 Saturn (ours). Tags cost about $140 a year each. Michigan used to base tag fees on weight, some time ago they changed to value of new vehicle, and plates went sky high. What galls me most of all is that you pay the tag fee for one little sticker, used to be you got two new metal plates for your money now you get a 2 square inch sticker. that costs 10X what the plates did. What a farce. We already pay some of the highest tag fees in the nation and now they want to raise them 50% to get more money to fix the roads. Bull Roar. I drive less than 3000 miles a year, why should I subsidize the drivers who pile up 50,000 miles a year...raise the gas tax instead.

Property taxes are a real pain but fortunately there isn't a big difference here between this year and last year's. I don't know how people in new homes do it.

Driller said:

Property taxes are a real pain but fortunately there isn't a big difference here between this year and last year's. I don't know how people in new homes do it.

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Are you referring to the same situation I noted a few posts earlier...where existing homeowners have their taxes limited by law, and new homes get socked with a high tax to begin with, because the restrictions don't apply to those?

JDgreen said:

Are you referring to the same situation I noted a few posts earlier...where existing homeowners have their taxes limited by law, and new homes get socked with a high tax to begin with, because the restrictions don't apply to those?

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I'm not at all sure how things work in Calfornia, but I'm pretty sure that he is refering to just that. It's the same here in Florida. Homes are reassessed when they are sold. 6 years ago the taxes tripled on the property I purchased and now reside at.
Our state and county officials have no reason to lower or stop raising taxes unless we citiizens get more involved with our government.

KennyV said:

Well I am off to PAY for new tags...
Just noticed that tag renewal is also UP this year...
Got the letter a few wks ago but didn't notice the amount... I think I am going to sell a couple cars that I don't really need to tag... KennyV

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You mat be aware of this, but it is not necessarily a choice of tag or sell. In my state you don't have to register a vehicle if you sign an affidavit that you are not going to use it on public roads. I mention this as now is not a good time to try and sell anything.

RobertBrown said:

In my state you don't have to register a vehicle if you sign an affidavit that you are not going to use it on public roads.

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But you still get to enjoy the annual property tax... In this state the property tax is the largest part of the tag registration...
Several years ago I did that with a dump truck that I use on the place, never on the roads... The property tax has more than tripled even though the truck has aged... ???
The dump truck is going... KennyV

KennyV said:

But you still get to enjoy the annual property tax... In this state the property tax is the largest part of the tag registration...
Several years ago I did that with a dump truck that I use on the place, never on the roads... The property tax has more than tripled even though the truck has aged... ???
The dump truck is going... KennyV

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Kenny...part of the taxes I pay to support local township government pay for the local code enforcement officer, who recently gave me a warning about the twenty year old pickup truck I use to haul debris around our property...it never gets road use, is uninsured, but because of the stupid laws here I cannot keep it outdoors BECAUSE IT DOES NOT HAVE A REGISTRATION TAB.!!! Only licensed salvage yard owners and/or auto dealers are permitted to have an unregistered vehicle on their property outdoors. Anyone else has to store them indoors. The law is supposed to keep people from collecting junk cars on their property, but it's stupid you cannot keep one running, reasonably decent looking farm truck outdoors. Any comments?

KennyV said:

But you still get to enjoy the annual property tax... In this state the property tax is the largest part of the tag registration...
Several years ago I did that with a dump truck that I use on the place, never on the roads... The property tax has more than tripled even though the truck has aged... ???
The dump truck is going... KennyV

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I'm not at all familiar with property tax, the concept makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up and my blood pressure rise. In Florida, you pay sales tax when you purchase the vehicle (7.5% currently).
Is property tax in addition to sales tax?

By the by...I just had to pay 50$ to renew my drivers license.

JDgreen said:

Kenny...part of the taxes I pay to support local township government pay for the local code enforcement officer, who recently gave me a warning about the twenty year old pickup truck I use to haul debris around our property...it never gets road use, is uninsured, but because of the stupid laws here I cannot keep it outdoors BECAUSE IT DOES NOT HAVE A REGISTRATION TAB.!!! Only licensed salvage yard owners and/or auto dealers are permitted to have an unregistered vehicle on their property outdoors. Anyone else has to store them indoors. The law is supposed to keep people from collecting junk cars on their property, but it's stupid you cannot keep one running, reasonably decent looking farm truck outdoors. Any comments?

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Here that would happen in the city or a suburban situation with a Home owners Association or Civic Association. None of the more rural areas or county laws support such legislation. Having said that, junk cars are not a common occurance here, don't recall seeing any.

RobertBrown said:

Here that would happen in the city or a suburban situation with a Home owners Association or Civic Association. None of the more rural areas or county laws support such legislation. Having said that, junk cars are not a common occurance here, don't recall seeing any.

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The big farm a mile north of me has a half dozen scrapped cars, trucks, etc scattered around the property, including dozens of piles of junk farm machines. The code compliance officer could warn the owners there about two dozen things, but because the farm owners get taxed so much more than me he doesn't have the guts to make waves about their junk. What an a---hole.

JDgreen said:

I cannot keep it outdoors BECAUSE IT DOES NOT HAVE A REGISTRATION TAB.!!!
Any comments?

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Wow ... where were the people when that got added???

If they want me to keep all my stuff inside, they are going to have to exempt a building from taxes ... then I would consider having one built to place the truck in.... KennyV

RobertBrown said:

I'm not at all familiar with property tax, the concept makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up and my blood pressure rise. In Florida, you pay sales tax when you purchase the vehicle (7.5% currently).
Is property tax in addition to sales tax?

By the by...I just had to pay 50$ to renew my drivers license.

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We get to pay sales tax AND then every year all motor vehicles are assessed an additional annual property tax... AND if you owe ANY back property tax on ANYTHING they will refuse to issue a license tag for your car or truck, until you have ALL your property tax up to date...
What a system... got to love it... KennyV

KennyV said:

Wow ... where were the people when that got added???

If they want me to keep all my stuff inside, they are going to have to exempt a building from taxes ... then I would consider having one built to place the truck in.... KennyV

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One of my good friends is a township trustee, she voted against the new regulation, here in Michigan local township boards of trustees can usually enact and and all regulations they want, citing: "the good of the community in general". If your house is run down, they can force you to fix it up or just write violation notices and take you to court.

KennyV said:

What a system... got to love it... KennyV

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I've got to disagree KennyV, I don't "gotta love it" I've gotta change it. Just because I can afford it doesn't mean I should turn my head to it. The tail is wagging the dog as far as I'm concerned.
Where does it end?

JDgreen said:

One of my good friends is a township trustee, she voted against the new regulation, here in Michigan local township boards of trustees can usually enact and and all regulations they want, citing: "the good of the community in general". If your house is run down, they can force you to fix it up or just write violation notices and take you to court.

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That is scary... Michigan... that's in the land of the free and the home of the brave right?
I understand protecting property values... but when they drop, why don't the taxes? It seems like we are paying these people to make our lives more difficult and costly.

You know.....when this fine country was founded (originally) the only ones that could vote were property owners. Perhaps that's the way it should still be?

I just got my Louisiana property tax bill in the mail yesterday--it was $95! That's down from last year when it was $98! We have the homestead exemption here so that the first $75,000 of your primary residence is not taxed. But we do have to pay state income tax, unlike Texas. I'm pretty sure my sister in Austin pays a lot more in property tax than I do in state income tax. So far this year I've paid less than $850 in state tax.

Today I paid the license renewal on my 2008 Toyota--that little sticker was $62 which included a late fee since it expired in November. It's based on the value of the vehicle so my older car is much less.

junebug1701 said:

I just got my Louisiana property tax bill in the mail yesterday--it was $95! That's down from last year when it was $98! We have the homestead exemption here so that the first $75,000 of your primary residence is not taxed. But we do have to pay state income tax, unlike Texas. I'm pretty sure my sister in Austin pays a lot more in property tax than I do in state income tax. So far this year I've paid less than $850 in state tax.

Today I paid the license renewal on my 2008 Toyota--that little sticker was $62 which included a late fee since it expired in November. It's based on the value of the vehicle so my older car is much less.

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Wow that makes me envious...can you tell us how your state manages to get their budget money???

RobertBrown said:

I don't "gotta love it" I've gotta change it. Just because I can afford it doesn't mean I should turn my head to it. The tail is wagging the dog as far as I'm concerned.
Where does it end?

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That's a good question... Don't know where it will end, but I'm sure something will eventually end it...
As to changing it... I have no idea how that is going to be done. Even if you appeal your valuation, or protest your tax it is not going to lower it ... so, like I said, since you can not change it, you are going to HAVE to 'learn' how to love it...:biggrin: .. :smile:KennyV

KennyV said:

That's a good question... Don't know where it will end, but I'm sure something will eventually end it...
As to changing it... I have no idea how that is going to be done. Even if you appeal your valuation, or protest your tax it is not going to lower it ... so, like I said, since you can not change it, you are going to HAVE to 'learn' how to love it...:biggrin: .. :smile:KennyV

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I've said it myself many times "don't worry about things you can't control".
However I go to great lengths to get the most out of what I have. It extremely frustrating to realize that my tax dollars are spent so ineffciently.
I honestly believe that changes happens, or starts to happen this way, as we (all of us here on LMF and in other places) disscuss our opinions regarding change and making things better. We have to insist on a more from our public sector.
I suppose I should consider myself lucky I don't have to pay state income tax, as ther is no such thing here.

RobertBrown said:

I've said it myself many times "don't worry about things you can't control".
However I go to great lengths to get the most out of what I have. It extremely frustrating to realize that my tax dollars are spent so ineffciently.
I honestly believe that changes happens, or starts to happen this way, as we (all of us here on LMF and in other places) disscuss our opinions regarding change and making things better. We have to insist on a more from our public sector.
I suppose I should consider myself lucky I don't have to pay state income tax, as ther is no such thing here.

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Income tax here in Michigan is currently about 4.6%, however, my wife and I are government retirees, so our pensions are not taxed by the state amount. I really envy residents of other states who have little property tax to pay, if we paid state tax on our pensions, it still would not be as much as the $3600 annual bite I pay for property taxes...

JDgreen said:

Wow that makes me envious...can you tell us how your state manages to get their budget money???

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Mostly from oil and gas revenues, but the BP catastrophe put a big dent in that money. So now they are cutting budgets all over the state.

JDgreen said:

Income tax here in Michigan is currently about 4.6%, however, my wife and I are government retirees, so our pensions are not taxed by the state amount. I really envy residents of other states who have little property tax to pay, if we paid state tax on our pensions, it still would not be as much as the $3600 annual bite I pay for property taxes...

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I may have misled you (unintentionaly) when I said I have no property tax as I meant personal property tax. I have to pay taxes annually on real estate. The taxes are based mainly on the square footage of any improvements made to property, houses, buildings, even the dock on the pond.

RobertBrown said:

taxes are based mainly on the square footage of any improvements made to property, houses, buildings, even the dock on the pond.

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Same in most all places... it's a real incentive to NOT make improvements... What a backwards system...
:smile:KennyV

KennyV said:

Same in most all places... it's a real incentive to NOT make improvements... What a backwards system...
:smile:KennyV

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Thats the point I made earlier when I ranted about having to pay more tax on my enlarged, renovated farmhouse...

Congrats to you Kenny, this discussion has been one of the most interesting I have followed during my time here on LMF....:thumbsup::thumbsup:

I have been on the edge of building a new house here for a while now...
BUT with how the tax system has been going, there is NO way.
I have looked at selling and buying another place BUT again when you look at the taxes on another place, it is a huge factor in the actual cost of moving, you get to pay taxes every year but you really do not know where they will be in 2, 3, or 5 years, (only safe bet is higher).
You can only look at the past trend and speculate... If your taxes have doubled OR tripped in recent years, there is no reason to believe that is not what they will do again.
quite a system... :smile:KennyV frown:!)

KennyV said:

I have been on the edge of building a new house here for a while now...
BUT with how the tax system has been going, there is NO way.
I have looked at selling and buying another place BUT again when you look at the taxes on another place, it is a huge factor in the actual cost of moving, you get to pay taxes every year but you really do not know where they will be in 2, 3, or 5 years, (only safe bet is higher).
You can only look at the past trend and speculate... If your taxes have doubled OR tripped in recent years, there is no reason to believe that is not what they will do again.
quite a system... :smile:KennyV frown:!)

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There are many people like you Kenny, I'm one of them, reluctant to build because of the taxes and an uncertain future.
Think of all the money that would be injected into our stagnant economy, all the work that would be made available to those who are out of work or in need of same, If the tax issue was not such that it is.
I'm not against taxes. I feel taxes are necessary, but where does it stop?

RobertBrown said:

There are many people like you Kenny, I'm one of them, reluctant to build because of the taxes and an uncertain future.
Think of all the money that would be injected into our stagnant economy, all the work that would be made available to those who are out of work or in need of same, If the tax issue was not such that it is.
I'm not against taxes. I feel taxes are necessary, but where does it stop?

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WELL STATED !!! The only reason I was able to afford to enlarge and renovate our current home was because our taxes were held in check by Proposal A, passed in Michigan back in the middle 90's. There was no way we could have afforded to build a new house comparable to the one we renovated, because the property taxes would have been much higher. Part of the problem is, if a long term homeowner here chooses to downsize his home for reasons like retirement, etc. they will probably end up paying as much, or more, in property taxes as they are in their current home. The lady across the road from me has been trying to sell her house for several years, it's a large two story, renovated farmhouse. Her taxes are less than $1800 a year, despite the complete renovation she and her husband did not ENLARGE the house. They had it listed at close to 200 grand, now it's only 3/4 that much. Guy down the road from us recently purchased a house in the upper 180 grand area...his taxes are more than 2X what the couple near us pay. I was paying about $900 a year in property taxes before building on in late 2002, now they are a total of over $3500 a year !!! I agree some taxes are necessary, however, why does the local township deserve to nearly quadruple my taxes when they did NOTHING to improve the value of my property?

Another sore spot is that our taxes used to be due in August -- they decided to do them in 6 month payments (twice a year) --- now June (2 months after Fed. taxes) and December (just before Christmas) Talk about making it hard on parents to have a decent Christmas for the kids !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbdown:

Our taxes are figured on the basis of market value, which is based on prices properties sold for the period prior to the taxation. It's been a down market, so we benefitted.