Gas Prices - outside of US

[Shaggy Hiker]

Property taxes are a bit of a sore point out here, but not because the tax rate has increased. The rate of increase is capped, and lots of politicians run on not raising the tax rate at all, let alone up to the cap. It barely matters, when property values are rising so fast that the valuation is always lagging behind, then actual property taxes keep on rising even if the tax rate stays flat, or even declines. Selling and moving is one thing I'm considering, as well, but I'm not sure that it makes sense, yet. Property prices are so high all around me that it might gain me nothing...unless I go to where the internet barely works, which would be highly problematic.

[brad jones]

We have property tax caps as well. It isn't just the Assessed Values that make the caps silly. We have 'referendums' that can go around the cap and tax more. It simply takes a local vote to pass a referendum. They are used for schools, so they threaten to cut teaches and create large class sizes. That's enough of a threat to get people to pass them. Of course, the local governments have also started applying tax incentive financing (TIF) to a lot of areas. This takes future property taxes from areas and let's the politicians used them today. The idea was supposed to be used to build up areas that were in disrepair, but politicians use them for everything now. It basically turns into giving builders free money using future tax dollars.....

But alas, this is a tangent to the topic of "Gas Taxes" But, Shaggy, if you move it is doubtful you will escape the taxing issues. What one area does, others soon adopt.....

[Shaggy Hiker]

But alas, this is a tangent to the topic of "Gas Taxes" But, Shaggy, if you move it is doubtful you will escape the taxing issues. What one area does, others soon adopt.....

I wouldn't move because of taxes. They are trivial. In fact, in the last session, the state legislature did something to property taxes, I'm just not sure what. I think it will drop my bills. I think they exempted a larger portion of the property value from taxation. They did that the third year I was in this house, my property taxes dropped dramatically, and it has only been in the last three or four years that my tax bill got above what I paid those first couple years...and that was twenty years back. Now, it may have happened again.

So, if I move, it won't be because of taxes. It will either be because I changed jobs, or because I built a house. Ultimately, I can't grow old in this house, because there is no shower on the ground floor. If you can't do stairs, you can't live here. I'd either have to remodel to add a shower (problematic), or move...and I have ideas, but they will have to wait at least another half a year to see which way things go.

[homer13j]

Property prices are so high all around me that it might gain me nothing...unless I go to where the internet barely works, which would be highly problematic.

If I buy a property where I'm looking (a very rural area two counties west) that has the same assessed value as my current place I would save at least 70% on property taxes (probably more), have acres of land instead of my tiny 1/10 acre city lot, no zoning restrictions, minuscule crime rate, peace and quiet, relief from excessively corrupt government, etc. And cable internet is available there. At this point fleeing the city has become a no-brainer for me.

[Shaggy Hiker]

If I buy a property where I'm looking (a very rural area two counties west) that has the same assessed value as my current place I would save at least 70% on property taxes (probably more), have acres of land instead of my tiny 1/10 acre city lot, no zoning restrictions, minuscule crime rate, peace and quiet, relief from excessively corrupt government, etc. And cable internet is available there. At this point fleeing the city has become a no-brainer for me.

Your version of rural is a whole lot less rural than the Idaho version. I know the Ohio version, it's rather pleasant.

[homer13j]

Your version of rural is a whole lot less rural than the Idaho version. I know the Ohio version, it's rather pleasant.

Don't think for a minute that I haven't considered moving farther (further?) west. I may just end up as your noisy neighbor.