Were yours UP or Down... Property Taxes in todays mail...

[RobertBrown]

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.

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.

 

[JD Man]

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?

 

[junebug1701]

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.

 

[JDgreen]

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.

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

 

[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?

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

 

[RobertBrown]

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

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.

 

[JDgreen]

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.

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...

 

[junebug1701]

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

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.

 

[RobertBrown]

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...

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.

 

[KennyV]

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

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