Somebody explain property tax and how it is American.

Greetings,

Let me start off by saying that I get it. You take a large loan out from the bank to pay for real estate, the government has to get there cut, even though I don't agree with it, that is how Things work around here.

The thing about it is, there are just some taxes in America that seem funny too me. Here is a good example... Somebody buys a new car, they pay a hefty sum of taxes buying that car and 8 years later they sell that car. Why then is the person buying the used item that has already been taxed liable to pay taxes again? Does any purchase in America warrant a tax? Even if that tax has ALREADY been paid?

I can understand paying real estate tax while you are paying a mortgage on your home, you consider them installment tax payments that go hand and hand with your mortgage payment. I would like one person to explain to me why after you pay your house off you have to keep paying these taxes...... Please explain it.

To me it would seem that the government demands taxes just for being a living breathing citizen who owns land. Does this seem right by any American standard? Why should we pay taxes for existing? Very simply, you NEVER own any land here in America, you are simply from your time of purchase until you die, renting it from the government because the second you don't pay tax even on land or property you already "own" they will take it from you in a heartbeat.

American dream......? More like American nightmare. Before anyone is so quick to say.... You live in the community and they need money to fix street lights and repair potholes, save it! I live in Chicago and if you call the number to report a pothole you would be lucky if you didn't get hung up on or laughed at. They don't need the money for that and as proof I submit a commercial I seen on TV 20 minutes ago that probably cost the city 250,000 dollars on the conservative side to advertise a local curfew for minors..... WHAT? Not to mention the millions in advertising seat belt laws, click it or ticket.... And a host of other worthless propaganda they spew.

Hey Americans, when your done paying the bank, you should be done paying the government. Existing on your own land thats bought and paid for SHOULD NOT be taxable. Period.

reply to post by Helious


Property taxes have nothing to do with loans.. if you own a home outright you still pay the property taxes.

Why do we have property taxes? Because our repressive government found out that if you give people an "election" every few years you can totally rape their wallet in taxes, fees and fines.. we have several thousand % more taxes now than we did under King George.

Its alot like communism really. You never really 'own' land. You only get to rent it from the government.

Star+Flag

Here's property tax for you, with all you minimum wage workers. It will cost you well over the price you paid for the house. But, if something were to happen to it, then it will be...

Was it from the weather?

Was it a natural occurrence?

You can't just pay dang fine (That's your deductible), without some BS crap in the way.

If I am paying about and close too $1000 a year. You better pay for what ever gets broken.

Simple as that.

Or, WTF, are you getting paid Insurance for?

Obviously, my dang heath.

And, I don't even get that.

reply to post by theovermensch


Well, it seems silly and too easy but in all honesty, this very simple fact illustrates all too clearly how rogue our government has become. When we have no REAL land owners anymore we all just become deadbeat tenants to our corrupt and tyrannical government should it fit there need.

If there will be a revolution, this should be the reason why, land bought and paid for by blood, sweat and tears by American citizens should be there's without taxation. Continuing to tax after the land is paid for is for all intents and purposes a tax on breathing and should be banned outright immediately.

Unless you are a religion, in which case you don't pay property tax.
However, it is quite clearly stated in the Constitution that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.."
But they do have a list of 'approved' religions. Basically, they are saying that one religion is better than another, and those on the list get to be tax exempt. If you have your own 'religion' or spirituality, you don't get tax exemption because you are not on the list of approved religions...
See where I'm going with this?
Millions and millions of dollars not be collected because a law was made respecting an establishment of religion, and everyone else with differing views pays taxes because your particular religion has been denied free exercise.

Either ALL religions are tax exempt, or none are. You can't have it both ways.
If my religion is "putting small pieces of potato on top of corn flakes..." I can't get tax exemption. If I establish a church of putting small pieces of potato on top of corn flakes, I still don't make the cut...
It doesn't matter what you believe, unless it's approved by the government it pays taxes.
Constitutionally, that's absolutely not right.
If I establish a church of "Invisible magic guy who makes people out of mud, makes rules that he knows will be broken, and then damns those who break them" I get tax exemption.

Tax all the churches, or tax none.

I wouldn't pay property tax. They don't help those who do pay for it, and they won't help those who don't pay for it. Either way, you still have to call someone on craigslist to fend for you. To fix the problem. Even, if it's not done the right way. Least, they tried, and didn't cost more than your deductible.

Pretty Sad.

reply to post by Badgered1


Every American should be free to purchase land if they can afford it. Assuming a citizen can afford it and purchases the land, the tax needs to end with the last payment for said land to the creditor. The land has been paid for and proper taxes on the purchase paid.

What is the justification to continue to tax the owner for the rest of there natural life? What is the justification to tax the family who inherits after that? IT IS THERE LAND right..............? Wrong, it is the governments land and we are all just renting and will eventual default.

reply to post by Helious


Dear Helious,

I would like one person to explain to me why after you pay your house off you have to keep paying these taxes...... Please explain it.

Okay, here is what you missed. Different taxes go to different groups. Your Federal Income Tax pays for federal programs and not for your schools or local police and fire. Your state income tax pays for state programs like your state colleges; but, not for your other schools. Your county PROPERTY TAX pays for your non-college schools (primarily) and county services. Your sales tax goes to your state, county and city.

Each state is different; but, basically that is how it works. Once you buy your house, you continue to have schools, roads and police and fire. If you want those services to continue then you continue to have local taxes. Why should someone in Los Angeles pay for kids in Bakersfield to go to school? Those are local issues, not federal ones. If you have paved roads is your community then you don't need to pay as much in taxes; but, you have fewer roads to maintain.

On a local level you should be concerned with which taxes pay for local issues. Your property tax does not pay for the military. Rather than talk about some generic taxes, you need to learn which taxes pay for which services. Whatever city, county or state you live in you can find this information in their Consolidated Annual Financial Report which is also called a CAFR. If you wish to understand where the money goes, go to the Governmental Financial Officers Association (GFOA) and you will begin to understand how it works. By the way, there is no public pension crisis as they also point out, that is just a way to take more of your money and give it to politicians to use on pet projects. Peace.

Originally posted by Helious
reply to post by Badgered1

 

What is the justification to continue to tax the owner for the rest of there natural life? What is the justification to tax the family who inherits after that? IT IS THERE LAND right..............? Wrong, it is the governments land and we are all just renting and will eventual default.

The thought process behind the property tax is fairly tightly focused actually and it's to support local municipal services and/or schools (the formulas vary from area to area). The part of that which makes private ownership of land in the United States a very relative thing is what happens if you don't pay. After 2 years or so, they simply take your house and auction it on the court house steps.

Quite literally in many counties around here, ON the court house steps in a traditional auction. So, basically and in a very real sense, there is no private ownership of land in America and there hasn't been for a long time now. There is life-time leasing of it from the local authority, in whatever form that takes. Pay or lose the land sounds a lot like lease payments to me.

Yes Yes. I hate property taxes more than any other Tax there is.

I cannot say how I really feel without cussing, and saying other illegal things that prowl through my mind. I feel like a slave, with the threat of someone taking everything I've worked my ass off to obtain.To pay this illegal Tax.

When the thought of someone chaining my doors with a lein notice enters my mind, the thought of grabbing my AR does too.

Owning a commercial property, with a small business, these taxes are killing us. Our school district is subpar with so much corruption that schools are actually shut down around here. We already pay utilities, which include fees to maintain the property and said utilities. If I could actually see the benefits of these taxes at work, MAYBE my opinion would change, but I don't see any justification, only harm, mainly to us.

It's a complete sham, robbery and an illegal practice in my opinion.

I appreciate your response and your post but that being said I will have to address a couple of issues I have with what you have said.

Your state income tax pays for state programs like your state colleges; but, not for your other schools

Pays for my state colleges? What exactly does that mean? Near where I live in Illinois, Harper college is a community college and it costs almost 40 thousand dollars to get a degree from, why is it they need state funding again?

Your county PROPERTY TAX pays for your non-college schools (primarily) and county services. Your sales tax goes to your state, county and city.

Isn't that where state lottery revenue goes too as well? Our non-college schools? As well as a host of other taxes, fees and penalties to "schools"? I have that in parenthesis because they are less schools these days and more like training camps.

County services? You mean like enlisting thousands of sheriffs to man the metal detectors and courtrooms jammed to the hilt of people who are herded in like sheep to answer for ridiculous crimes manufactured for the sole reason to generate revenue for the county?

On a local level you should be concerned with which taxes pay for local issues. Your property tax does not pay for the military. Rather than talk about some generic taxes, you need to learn which taxes pay for which services. Whatever city, county or state you live in you can find this information in their Consolidated Annual Financial Report which is also called a CAFR.

You speak as if it matters, it does not. Your taxes will not be spent the way you wan't them to be, nor will the be spent the way the MAJORITY of Americans wish them to be and as a direct result of these facts, I don't concern myself with the logistics because even though I know exactly what they are it won't change how my taxes or anyone elses are spent and that brings me to the point of a rogue government, yet again.

I know where the money is supposed to go, but at any level, local, regional, state wide or federal, the money just doesn't seem to end up there..... Does it?

reply to post by Helious


You live in The United States of America.

Do I need to explain it to you?

You can post thisridiculous message.

You can water your lawn.

You can go on vacation.

You need to show some respect.

Where I live they call the property tax, the school tax. Property taxes go to pay for our public schools. I live on an Indian reservation, we don't pay property taxes, so NY state kicks in a certain amount for each of the Native students that go to public schools. Those public schools, they just love us.

reply to post by alonzo730


we can take "your" land back anytime we want. Be happy we don't.

Maybe the government should be held to the same standards as American families in these trying times. If you can't afford something, cut back, trim the fat and reel in your budget. That is what we all have to do these days and if the government is for the people by the people then they should have the same standards as the majority of the country.

I can not simply say, I am not making enough money at work, I will have to cut back on my taxes in this economy so that we can continue to live our lifestyle. The federal government is not above the same conjecture. Should they or any local authority not be able to fund there departments, it is a clear sign of government getting to bloated to sustain it's own weight and the need to cut back, as much as needed.

What it is not, is a green light to then tax the American public further to fund unwanted, unneeded and unjust programs that only serve the taxer and never the one being taxed. This is frankly absurd.

reply to post by Helious


Dear Helious,

I don't intend to argue with you about this. I have told you where you can find the information, how you feel about taxes is up to you. Which services you wish for your community is up to you, I really don't care. Let your area have less police, fire and public works, those all come from local taxes and not income tax. I was just saying where you could find where your taxes go. Have a great weekend. Out.

reply to post by AQuestion


you OWS guys are boring.

grow a pair you don't have to start with Dear,......

Originally posted by demented
reply to post by Helious

 

You live in The United States of America.

Do I need to explain it to you?

You can post thisridiculous message.

You can water your lawn.

You can go on vacation.

You need to show some respect.

edit on 10-12-2011 by demented because: (no reason given)

Not after paying all these goddamn taxes we can't. I haven't been on a vacation in years. We SHOULD be able to have a nice vacation every once in a while, but we're busting our ass paying every bill that comes our way. I can only water my lawn if there isn't a "watering ban" due to drought, and if I do I PAY FOR IT.

Show the hard working, tax paying, burden bearing property owner respect. This should be a right, not a privilige that has to be continuously paid for....after already being paid for.

Originally posted by demented
reply to post by alonzo730

 

we can take "your" land back anytime we want. Be happy we don't.

...and with that remark, although you're trying to intimidate, are obviously not any kind of threat at all. As a matter of fact, with a childish, wannabe remark like that, you're easily dismissable. Later kid.

Property taxes are set by the local government, municipalities, cities, etc. (and not by the state or federal government). There are some areas without property taxes, but you won't have fire or EMS services, police, or schools. Search property taxes by county (there's like 3,077 in the US). You'll also find some areas don't have sales tax or income tax, although every county has some form of tax, it's what pays for basic services. The problem you'll run into trying to find an area without property taxes is that if the city, county, or town has no tax, the schools might still have a levy passed, and those won't always show up in a search. Tax abatement programs exist too, but those tend to be in areas of blight. I believe the areas with lowest overall property taxes are in Louisiana in the parishes.

taxfoundation.org