Crimson Wife Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 What are your other taxes like? I know in NH property-taxes are sky-high but what about other states like TX, TN, FL, WA, etc.? Without getting into politics too much, I'm concerned about the income tax reform plan doing away with all deductions and credits aside from mortgage interest and charitable donations. Right now we deduct our state income and property taxes & that's quite a large sum of money. I've been lobbying for us to get the heck out of CA for a while and the tax law changes (if signed into law) would be yet another reason to leave. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 TN: Our property taxes are pretty reasonable. (I pay $1500 a year for a 2000sq ft home, a barn and nearly three acres, in the county). Our sales tax (city and county together) runs around 9.25%. I don't know how that compares with other places though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Sales tax varies by area but the base I think is around 8% and groceries are exempt. Cities can add in their own taxes to that. Our property taxes don't seem that bad to me. We pay around $100 a month for our oversize lot with a 1.500 square foot house. But property taxes go up if you live in the city limits. But the benefit of being in the city is more things are included such as garbage, recycle pickup, water/sewer, library cards, etc. I think my IL's property taxes were about twice ours but they owned a bigger house in a large lot so their house was worth more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 (edited) . Edited September 11, 2020 by Æthelthryth the Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I live in Washington; no state income tax here. No tax on food but pretty high sales taxes overall, big gas tax, big sin tax (tobacco, liquor, luxury). (Eg. the same bottle of booze costs $24 in Washington, $18 in Oregon.) Property taxes vary somewhat by county, so you just have to check that out on a county-by-county basis. They rise (obviously) as property values rise and as more property taxes are voted in. I bought a house in 1995; property taxes were $4,000. I sold it in 2013; property taxes were $9,000. At this minute, for that house, they are $12,500. It's part of the reason we sold. That is a lot of money. We had a beach house in Oregon; they have state income tax, and Multnomah County has a county income tax as well. The state income tax is really high, percentage-wise. That said, there is no sales tax--none. The property taxes were a lot lower as a percentage of the value of the property than in Washington. For big ticket items, it was always worth it to make the drive so we could purchase them in Oregon. (Cars don't count--you have to pay tax in your home state.) Each kind of tax has its "benefits" and limitations. Having no income tax doesn't really benefit me anymore as we don't have any income. But making up for no income tax by having high property taxes...that does impact me. It even impacts those who rent, because the money to pay the tax doesn't come from nowhere (but people often don't remember that). Having no sales tax on food is good for everyone...having no tax on non-essentials is a benefit to those who buy them...but not to those who don't...and who end up paying in some other way. High gas tax is a hard hit for those who can't afford to live close-in and have to commute into the city. That one doesn't impact me as much as I don't commute anymore, from anywhere. Anyway, one other big benefit to no state income tax is the time saved in not doing one's taxes. That is worth something. :0) That said, there is a recurring effort in WA to implement a state income tax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 (edited) No income tax, no sales tax except in a few municipalities (not mine). They may add a state sales tax seasonally here soon, I know the legislature is kicking it around but we hope it is just pressure from our idiotic governor and not a real issue. The taxes we see tend to be property tax - not great here in Anchorage but not terrible either. Business taxes here in the muni are pretty decent too and don't affect businesses with low physical assets (under 20k value). Yay Alaska! Edited November 16, 2016 by Arctic Mama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 A good site for this kind of information is City Data. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 (edited) NY, very high property taxes (I don't know where to find the exact rate) Sale's tax 8% edited...did a quick search It's $40.75 per $1000 of property value. Edited November 16, 2016 by SparklyUnicorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Oh, and we kicked around moving to another no income tax state - Wyoming and Texas came out on top for as a balance of low taxes and pro growth policies locally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Texas. Property taxes are reasonable. We pay $1500 on 1700 sq.ft house on one acre in a rural town, and another house is about $2500 for 1700 sq. ft in a suburb that overspends on education. Sales tax is around 8%. We have a lottery that pays for some things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Texas, property taxes are ridiculous. $4000 for our 1700sq ft house, though it could be worse - if we were half a mile down the neighborhood our property tax would double. Location, location, location! Which I find insane, considering the lack of amenities (sidewalks, parks) our neighborhood has and the incredible lack of city forethought or planning (5 Walmarts for a city of 100,000, two on the same road). Our city overspends on education, or more to the point - football. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Texas, property taxes are ridiculous. $4000 for our 1700sq ft house, though it could be worse - if we were half a mile down the neighborhood our property tax would double. Location, location, location! Which I find insane, considering the lack of amenities (sidewalks, parks) our neighborhood has and the incredible lack of city forethought or planning (5 Walmarts for a city of 100,000, two on the same road). Our city overspends on education, or more to the point - football. LOL Try paying that AND high state income taxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 LOL Try paying that AND high state income taxes. Oh, we will next year. We're moving. :) It's just insane here. I truly live in the middle of nowhere - we took the inlaws on a tour and showed them outside the "city" in all four directions: nothing but scrub for miles. Therefore, being near a "city" means we pay a premium because they can charge it - where else are going to move? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I've not lived in Florida for 20 years, but when I was there property taxes weren't awful (they're worse now) and sales tax was I think 6%? I pay almost 10 here in my part of AZ. The schools were terrible though and they had the tourist industry to make up part of it. Homestead exemption made the property taxes on full time ownership more reasonable than if you had a vacation home down there. The money has to come from somewhere, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Oh, we will next year. We're moving. :) It's just insane here. I truly live in the middle of nowhere - we took the inlaws on a tour and showed them outside the "city" in all four directions: nothing but scrub for miles. Therefore, being near a "city" means we pay a premium because they can charge it - where else are going to move? I got excited when we moved from CT where we also paid yearly property taxes on cars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I got excited when we moved from CT where we also paid yearly property taxes on cars! This reminds me- we don't have state income tax, but what we do have are lots of "fees". I think if they call them fees they think we won't realize they're taxes. Like car registration- that's a yearly thing. They've now bundled it with your Inspection though to help mask the "fee" (TAX). We also seem to be getting more and more toll roads across the state. It's pretty hard to live in Houston or Dallas and not have a Toll Tag on your car. I think we spend about $80 on tolls for my husband's work commute. Despite that, from what other people tell me we still have an incredibly low cost of living on average compared to other states. I mean there are parts of Austin and Dallas etc. that are obviously more expensive as a whole, but I don't know of any other state besides perhaps Florida where the incomes are what they are here, yet with the lower housing/living costs. You can get a lot of bang for your buck house wise in Houston for what wouldn't even get you a garden shed in CA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 This reminds me- we don't have state income tax, but what we do have are lots of "fees". I think if they call them fees they think we won't realize they're taxes. Like car registration- that's a yearly thing. They've now bundled it with your Inspection though to help mask the "fee" (TAX). We also seem to be getting more and more toll roads across the state. It's pretty hard to live in Houston or Dallas and not have a Toll Tag on your car. I think we spend about $80 on tolls for my husband's work commute. Despite that, from what other people tell me we still have an incredibly low cost of living on average compared to other states. I mean there are parts of Austin and Dallas etc. that are obviously more expensive as a whole, but I don't know of any other state besides perhaps Florida where the incomes are what they are here, yet with the lower housing/living costs. You can get a lot of bang for your buck house wise in Houston for what wouldn't even get you a garden shed in CA. We have all those fees too though. So the taxes AND the fees. Also have tolls. Our registration is every other year. Inspection is every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 We have all those fees too though. So the taxes AND the fees. Also have tolls. Our registration is every other year. Inspection is every year. You'd feel rich if you moved here. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Crimson Wife I'm a California native and left when I was young. The home we lived in, when I was a young boy, it would take all of our income (and probably much more) to pay the Property Taxes on it now. I have Cousins and friends who still live in CA, but it's very expensive there. I vote Absentee in TX and if we had to return to the USA for some reason, we would go to TX. I lived in Plano, TX and there was a story on the evening news, a few days ago, about the facility Toyota USA is building for their U.S. HQ. in Plano, along with the other large companies that are in Plano. Toyota USA is moving from CA to TX. There is no paradise and everywhere I've been, there are pros and cons. In TX, as a previous post mentioned, there is "a lot of bang for the buck". Things I miss about living in CA: (a) Being able to go to the beach (b) Being able to go to the Mountains. One can do that in the same day, if desired. The traffic, the Smog, etc., I hated. If you have a house in CA, you could probably buy one 2 or 3 times nicer, on a much larger lot, in TX. The drawback to that is that you need to pay for Heating and Air Conditioning of a large house. I wonder what the little house I lived in, when I lived in Plano, is worth now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 (edited) I thought Texas was awful for property taxes. My MIL had to sell her paid for house because she could not afford property taxes on her social security/pension. We had a 975 sf house and paid $1400 per year. In Colorado, we have a 2000 sf house and pay about the same. House value is almost 4x. (Also homeowner insurance in Texas I think is expensive also.) Edited November 16, 2016 by goldberry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 You'd feel rich if you moved here. :) Although I assume something must be different. Like maybe income? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I live in FL. My property taxes are a lot less than they were in Michigan (where my parents lived) and similar to where we iived in Albany, NY. I love not having to fill out a state return. <3 I will say, though, that are schools are not as well funded as the up North schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 (edited) . Edited September 11, 2020 by Æthelthryth the Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I would guess- but I've never lived anywhere else so I don't know! I'll have to ask my husband if they do salary adjustments by locale if someone relocates. I think they have offices in NY. Be interesting to see. My husband works for a company based in Texas. LOL They have offices all over too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 (edited) . Edited September 11, 2020 by Æthelthryth the Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 He goes there about every other year. (Plano) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Property taxes in my part of Texas are crazy. We pay about $6,500/yr for our modest 3br home. That said, we are still better off than we paid property taxes + income tax in our previous state. The no sales tax on food = $100/savings a month alone for us compared to the previous 9.875% sales tax rate we had previously paid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I thought Texas was awful for property taxes. My MIL had to sell her paid for house because she could not afford property taxes on her social security/pension. We had a 975 sf house and paid $1400 per year. In Colorado, we have a 2000 sf house and pay about the same. House value is almost 4x. (Also homeowner insurance in Texas I think is expensive also.) It seems to vary wildly by city, as it does here as well. I'm unaware of any states that have a blanket property tax, it's pretty heavily linked to the county or city of residence :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 TN does have a tax on investment income, in case that is an issue. https://www.tn.gov/revenue/topic/hall-income-tax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted November 16, 2016 Author Share Posted November 16, 2016 Oh, and we kicked around moving to another no income tax state - Wyoming and Texas came out on top for as a balance of low taxes and pro growth policies locally. I don't think WY would work for us since I'm hoping to specialize in auditory-verbal therapy for the deaf and WY has neither an oral school for the deaf nor a hospital that does cochlear implant surgeries (families have to travel to either CO or UT for surgery). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted November 16, 2016 Author Share Posted November 16, 2016 TN does have a tax on investment income, in case that is an issue. https://www.tn.gov/revenue/topic/hall-income-tax Our investments are in tax-sheltered accounts like retirement and college savings accounts. I guess eventually we'll need to take distributions but that would be several decades from now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 We've lived several places in TX. Many think our property taxes are high, but reading some of the other tax rates (NY), it sounds like ours are very reasonable. The majority of our property taxes go to the schools (roughly 2/3rds). Sales tax has ranged from 8-8.25% - but there is none on food. Our property taxes have been about the same from in a Tier 1 county (close to the gulf, so home insurance is high) to our current northern position. Our home insurance is slightly cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 I'm in Florida. We get an exemption on property taxes if it is your primary residence, with that I paid about 1K in property taxes on a 3 bed,2 bath house that is 1450sqft. No income tax. Sales tax is 6.5%, and some food isn't taxed. (some is). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted November 17, 2016 Author Share Posted November 17, 2016 Jacksonville has the Clarke Oral School for the Deaf and University of Miami has a leading cochlear implant center so FL is a definite possibility. I think I'd prefer hurricane risk to earthquake risk since hurricanes give advance warning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Jacksonville has the Clarke Oral School for the Deaf and University of Miami has a leading cochlear implant center so FL is a definite possibility. I think I'd prefer hurricane risk to earthquake risk since hurricanes give advance warning. I'm in Jacksonville, if you have questions. I don't know about the Clarke School, but there is a school in St. Augustine for the Blind and Deaf. Jacksonville is known for having magnet schools....two of the high schools have been highly ranked nationally for years. We also have a relatively new Waldorf charter school which is K-5, I think, as well as two Montessori magnets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Florida - property taxes are about 2% in my suburb of a major city. My parents are in rural FL and are probably 0.5% or less. We pay approximately a bajillion dollars less than when we lived in the mid Atlantic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Jacksonville has the Clarke Oral School for the Deaf and University of Miami has a leading cochlear implant center so FL is a definite possibility. I think I'd prefer hurricane risk to earthquake risk since hurricanes give advance warning. Be cautious of living/working professionally in Miami. Ask about % patients that speak Spanish only vs bilingual. Most people are bilingual, but it can sometimes be difficult to work professionally if you can't speak Spanish (and maybe moreso in speech area?). Idk, just throwing it out there. But, Miami teaching hospitals are well regarded. Consider climate of Miami (tropical) vs Jacksonville (moderate?) if that's a consideration. Miami would definitely have the higher COL based on housing prices, I think, and the commute is not a joke, like all major cities. I'm not dissing on Miami! But I think it's some things to consider if you are considering moving there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonesinIndiana Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 If you go to Florida and are planning on buying a house, be aware of the home owners insurance. Crazy high. Before we moved to the midwest in 2015, our 1450 sq ft house was $2600 a year for insurance. We lived in Pinellas county. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Don't come to NJ. Income tax, sales tax, high property taxes, high insurance rates. Delaware might be an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SereneHome Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 We don't have income tax or sales tax, but yes, property taxes are huge. Although....it really depends on the town you live as each town sets its own rate. We were looking for a town with decent schools, and our property taxes surely reflect that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 (edited) . Edited September 11, 2020 by Æthelthryth the Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 (edited) . Edited September 11, 2020 by Æthelthryth the Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Our current property tax in Texas is about 2.5%. We have paid off our house, but the taxes are so high, we will need to sell. I think a higher sales tax would be the better way to go. If I lost my husband or he just couldn't work (he isn't working right now) we would lose the house because of taxes. It is as if we don't own the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 NH has no income tax, but they also have no sales tax. So while property taxes are quite high, NH actually ranks 4th "best" overall (after Alaska, Delaware, and Tennessee) according to this tax burden distribution chart. *Plus* mountains and beach, in the same day. *grin* (But ya gotta make peace with the snow, no two ways about it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Property taxes aren't bad. Base sales tax is 6% but many cities and/or counties have added to that for various projects. Some have a tourist tax on things like hotel rooms, car rentals, etc. Gas tax is almost 37 cents per gallon over and above the federal tax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted November 17, 2016 Author Share Posted November 17, 2016 Sales tax we're used to because ours here in CA is close to 10% once all the county and local sales taxes are added to the state one. Property taxes at 2.5-4% and annual reassessments would be bad, but if the home values are lower, we'd presumably come out ahead on that. I don't speak Spanish but there's such a shortage of auditory-verbal therapists that I don't think it would be a huge obstacle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 What are your other taxes like? I know in NH property-taxes are sky-high but what about other states like TX, TN, FL, WA, etc.? Without getting into politics too much, I'm concerned about the income tax reform plan doing away with all deductions and credits aside from mortgage interest and charitable donations. Right now we deduct our state income and property taxes & that's quite a large sum of money. I've been lobbying for us to get the heck out of CA for a while and the tax law changes (if signed into law) would be yet another reason to leave. Our property taxes are higher than California's. The state has to get money somehow. There will either be a state income tax or there will be higher property taxes. I preferred California, where my property tax was based on what I paid for the house when I bought it, regardless of how long I lived there. Property taxes go up every year in Texas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 People of NY, do not read this thread. Omg (I'm happy to pay taxes but OMG again). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 What are your other taxes like? I know in NH property-taxes are sky-high but what about other states like TX, TN, FL, WA, etc.? Without getting into politics too much, I'm concerned about the income tax reform plan doing away with all deductions and credits aside from mortgage interest and charitable donations. Right now we deduct our state income and property taxes & that's quite a large sum of money. I've been lobbying for us to get the heck out of CA for a while and the tax law changes (if signed into law) would be yet another reason to leave. What changes are in store for CA? Property taxes or income taxes? Both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 TN: Our property taxes are pretty reasonable. (I pay $1500 a year for a 2000sq ft home, a barn and nearly three acres, in the county). Our sales tax (city and county together) runs around 9.25%. I don't know how that compares with other places though. We pay double that for essentially the same thing, but there is no sales tax - only rooms and meals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.