Property taxes

I know there has been a group here in Texas advocating for abolition of property taxes for years. Within the last year or so, it seems like it has started gaining some traction. We had some bills pass that severely curtailed property taxes and Gov. Abbot wants to abolish them:

During a discussion with the Texas Public Policy Foundation Friday afternoon on bills passed during the 88th legislative session, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott talked about the ongoing work to reduce and eventually eliminate the state's property tax.

Abbott reiterated Friday to TPPF CEO Greg Sindelar his intent to deliver to residents the largest property tax cut in the history of the state that will eventually lead to the elimination of property taxes.
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^^ From 2023 (the previous legislative session - Texas has sessions every other year, 2025 session just started)

Now it seems that Florida is taking charge on the issue. Are we about to see more States follow suit?

Well, there is going to have to be some consensus on how we fund the government. AND - and this matters - what we demand/require/expect/want government to DO.

The discussion would be a healthy one - it highlights the importance of keeping government limited and small.

That said...how would one finance the goobermint skeuls?

...Tuition? I don't have a problem with that, although probably a sliding-scale (a form of socialism) would be necessary.

Washingtoon subsidization? What have we lived through? Drag Queen Story Hour, and Heather Has Two Mommies. You're in the wrong body - but we can fix that. Just don't tell your parents.

Before that, we had Michael Obama's gourmet cuisine ordered up as skeul lunches. Inedible and not enough calories. Train little Deplorables for the Holodomor that we now see unfolding.

Related, is the OTHER forms of taxation that various factions want done away with. No income tax. Sounds wonderful on the surface, but it ignores the chaos and expense - and legal exposure - involved in making every merchant an unpaid tax collector with a sales (POS) tax.

I live in a state with no sales tax, and frankly, it's great. I don't have to justify or prove the price paid for an automobile - new or used. The Title Bureau doesn't even care. They just want to see PAID on the bill of sale and a notarized signature.

You go to the grocery, or the widget store, and the price marked is the price paid. Done deal.

Income tax is annoying, but it could be simplified, greatly. Flat tax. Yeah, I know, "Fairtax." It would take about 30 days of a DemocRat-majority CONgress to turn it into a VAT/GST.

The bottom line is, ALL tax is onerous, and inherently unjust. Also unavoidable. What's needed is to keep it to a minimum. Meaning, keep government to a minimum.

No moar armies of bureaucrats working from home with mouse-clickers and hot baths, or maybe cold margaritas.

PA

New bill proposes abolishing all property taxes in Pennsylvania​

The only tax WORSE than an income tax. Yes, it absolutely needs to go. Wyoming was the furthest along that path.

I am not convince a property tax is all bad. In MN, food you buy to prepare and clothes are not subject to the sales tax. I would think something similar to property tax. Your primary home not taxed, or some kind of exemption. Maybe in town, a city lot exempt, suburb- an area, and rural 5 acres. Something like that.

The question is "What do we replace it with?", start an income tax? Double the sales tax? Or is this politicians wasting time pretending to care about something?

pmbug said:

Texas has sessions every other year, 2025 session just started)

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Even that's too often imho. Should be 5 Months every 4 years, that they meet.

Casey Jones said:

The bottom line is, ALL tax is onerous, and inherently unjust. Also unavoidable. What's needed is to keep it to a minimum. Meaning, keep government to a minimum.

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Only way to do that, is with a head tax where everyone pays the same $ amount. Anything else allows for far too much $ to be collected, and too much $ collected in taxes can only lead to them spending it and increasing the size of gov.



Just divide the amount gov spends by the number of citizens, and send every mofo a bill for that amount. If the People think the gov is over spending, they'll let their agents in gov know that, and quick.

Hide the true cost into services and products and we're right back to where no one is really sure how much gov actually costs.

I don't know how else to fund the local government other than through usage taxes like gasoline, electric, water and sewer. I guess entry fees into parks would create a whole new cast of meter maids?

Viking said:

I am not convince a property tax is all bad. In MN, food you buy to prepare and clothes are not subject to the sales tax. I would think something similar to property tax. Your primary home not taxed, or some kind of exemption. Maybe in town, a city lot exempt, suburb- an area, and rural 5 acres. Something like that.

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The Only property tax I would even consider would ONLY apply to Corporations, or those with at least say 10 investors. Then perhaps it can be used properly.

nickndfl said:

I don't know how else to fund the local government other than through usage taxes like gasoline, electric, water and sewer. I guess entry fees into parks would create a whole new cast of meter maids?

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We don't need them... they do nothing that a market couldn't figure out....

But yes I know, roads. Always the last argument in a Libertarian scenario.

Fatrat said:

The question is "What do we replace it with?" ...

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Per Gov. Abbott, for Texas' situation:

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For those concerned about how the state will sustain paying down the M&O tax, the governor said Texas' annual economy produces $2.3 trillion per year and that $17 billion to drive down property tax this session worked out to less than one-tenth of 1% of the state's GDP.

"We can do it," Abbott said.

The governor added that reducing the property tax burden would save residents billions of dollars per year, much of which may then be spent in the state, further increasing the sales tax revenue and growing the GDP.
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They expect that to cover budgets with increased sales tax revenue.

nickndfl said:

I don't know how else to fund the local government other than through usage taxes like gasoline, electric, water and sewer. I guess entry fees into parks would create a whole new cast of meter maids?

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Why not just charge those living in the particular jurisdiction, an equal tax that pays for the services provided?

It'll keep gov small and focused on only the most important stuff.

Gov should be priced same way a gallon of milk is priced at the store.

I know my property valuation has gone up over 30% in the past five short years and taxes with it. I do NOT see 30% more in services.

Unfortunately, inflation was killing the last government agency i worked for, sign blanks up 30%, poles up 55%, and so on....and if McD's is paying $12/hr the government must at least match that.

Fatrat said:

Unfortunately, inflation was killing the last government agency i worked for, sign blanks up 30%, poles up 55%, and so on....and if McD's is paying $12/hr the government must at least match that.

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Good.

House Republicans to release details of property tax reform plan today​

House Republicans will release the details of their property tax reform plan Monday, which leaders say will save the average Hoosiers hundreds of dollars annually.

Why it matters: Property tax relief was one of the top priorities for lawmakers this legislative session after several years of skyrocketing home values drove up property tax bills statewide.

State of play: Lawmakers have struggled to strike a balance between providing meaningful relief for homeowners without decimating the cities, counties, schools and other local units of government that depend on property taxes to fund services.

• House Speaker Todd Huston told reporters on Friday that the plan his caucus will release this morning as an amendment to Senate Bill 1 will save homeowners more than $1 billion in property taxes over the next three years

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/rea...S&cvid=8359dfcda1aa481e85a94c4ec0ddf182&ei=17

Nobody is talking about how they are going to replace lost tax money, who gets fucked instead of the homeowner...cause you know they aren't going to cut spending...

Fatrat said:

Nobody is talking about how they are going to replace lost tax money, who gets fucked instead of the homeowner...cause you know they aren't going to cut spending...

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Eliminate government schools, and property taxes would be very low and affordable.

Viking said:

Eliminate government schools, and property taxes would be very low and affordable.

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But you would end up doubling the prisons. How would less fortunate get an education, charity?

The two biggest expenditures in cities and towns are generally the police and teachers. I don't know how to lower the costs, but these are a good place to start. You have salaries, benefits and retirements. Thing is they are both necessary so what do ya do?

Then you have firemen. You dam sure need them.

And there are city services (utilities, pwd stuff, etc.) Can't just get rid of them.

So many services that we all depend on. What do we do to lower their costs?????

Teachers are not expensive. What do they make? 150k per year?

Florida, the average teacher salary is around $55,397 annually, with benefits including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off, and salaries can range from $41,986 to $73,569.
Some states a lot more because of "Cost of living"

Local student budget just got bumped up to over 22k/student per year.
Surely these class sizes of 25 kids can cover the teacher’s salary and retire,ent.
Oh, I’ve paid over 1000 in student fees for one child this year.


Property taxes are too high. Government bloat to too much.

Fatrat said:

Florida, the average teacher salary is around $55,397 annually, with benefits including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off, and salaries can range from $41,986 to $73,569.
Some states a lot more because of "Cost of living"

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Exactly. Similar here in Alaska. But the student budget is $440,000 per class.
Teachers are not the cost of Government Education.

Fatrat said:

But you would end up doubling the prisons. How would less fortunate get an education, charity?

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Like they use to before the government took it over? People were much better educated then too.

Get rid of public education. If you have kids you pay to educate them. Part of the cost of raising children. Teachers then go out and put themselves up for hire. They get paid whatever the market will bare.
Another solution is computerized learning. Kids stay home and learn online with computer programs being the teachers.

Firefighters can be all volunteer. Police can be eliminated and just sheriffs allowed. Laws can be changed so anyone seen committing a crime is subject to being shot and killed by any armed citizen.

Healthcare costs are also off the charts thanks to Obamacare. Eliminate all health insurance requirements and make paying out of pocket affordable again. Why are we paying insurance companies to pay out medical bills? People in their 30's who never use the Dr's are paying 9k a year for a couple. I haven't had 9k in medical bills in my entire life and I'm 60.

If radical changes aren't implemented then eventually the government is going to eat every penny of income people make.

My NY taxes (school and property) are on the inexpensive side for the area and they are 6k annually. I have friends that pay 20k+.
Please don't whine about Texas taxes.

People who live in Texas are gonna whine about Texas taxes, they sure aren't gonna whine about other state's taxes.
It's all a matter of perspective. If it effects you, that's what you're gonna whine about .
I agree, other people in other states may have a worse tax situation but that's for them to whine about.

JayDubya said:

People who live in Texas are gonna whine about Texas taxes, they sure aren't gonna whine about other state's taxes.
It's all a matter of perspective. If it effects you, that's what you're gonna whine about .
I agree, other people in other states may have a worse tax situation but that's for them to whine about.

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But what they all have in common, is their assertion that the taxes are too much.

And there's truth to that.

But, juxtapose that against DOGE-hysteria...it's laughable. Here's Trump, actually trying to control taxation in a meaningful way - not shifting the taxes or offering temporary exemptions, but actually CUTTING COSTS - and the Left's noise machine are ginning up all the NPCs and the barely-sentient, into panics about how Evil Elon is looking to break into their (anti)Social (in)Security lockboxes, and empty them.

There just is no thought to this, and it doesn't help that we're video-screened and drugged to where we don't even have concentration abilities.

searcher said:

The two biggest expenditures in cities and towns are generally the police and teachers

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Some interesting stuff here.


POLICE DEPARTMENT FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET

Viking said:

Like they use to before the government took it over? People were much better educated then too.

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nickndfl said:

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Proof that public education is a total waste of time and money. My guess is taxpayers are also paying for these college educations.