Property Taxes. How bad do they get ya for what you have

[Maverick]

I don't pay any property taxes.   

[rpm]

Last year, even with all my ag and homestead exemptions, I paid over $2000 in property tax for a 3/2 1800+sqft home, 150 acres of ag land and mineral rights. The valuation went up 30% last year. This year the valuation went up 60%. They are saying the increase is due to the Barnett Shale, altho they have yet to prove there is any Barnett Shale under my property or it's productivity if it is there. They just assume it's there and it's a big producer. Yeah, you can fight it, but unless you have several degrees from Texas A&M and a team of economists working for you... your screwed. Did I mention the Cheif Appraiser is the one to make the dispute resolution?

Last year I appealed my appraisal because it was over 2 times what I made from mineral production. I was sent a stack of reports and I had to produce counter evidence to each report to be considered as rebuttal. Checks stubs were not considered valid evidence. Guess who won?

A simple rollback election could reduce the tax rate if it was raised. They can't raise the tax rate so instead they just raise the property appraisal. Mind you this does'nt mean your actual property value went up, just the appraisal. Some areas of our county had valuations go up over 1000%. Guess I got out cheap.
http://www.wcmessenger.com/data/news/EkEZplAEEpMGEfkPUf.php

Another number that jumps out is New Fairview's industrial/utility values. The city showed a 1,064.87 percent increase over last year

Mav, your paying property taxes. It's just in the form of fuel tax. The tax man commeth, regardless.

[OOZ662]

No property taxes and nobody in my house drives.

[FrodeMk3]

Last year, even with all my ag and homestead exemptions, I paid over $2000 in property tax for a 3/2 1800+sqft home, 150 acres of ag land and mineral rights. The valuation went up 30% last year. This year the valuation went up 60%. They are saying the increase is due to the Barnett Shale, altho they have yet to prove there is any Barnett Shale under my property or it's productivity if it is there. They just assume it's there and it's a big producer. Yeah, you can fight it, but unless you have several degrees from Texas A&M and a team of economists working for you... your screwed. Did I mention the Cheif Appraiser is the one to make the dispute resolution?

Last year I appealed my appraisal because it was over 2 times what I made from mineral production. I was sent a stack of reports and I had to produce counter evidence to each report to be considered as rebuttal. Checks stubs were not considered valid evidence. Guess who won?

A simple rollback election could reduce the tax rate if it was raised. They can't raise the tax rate so instead they just raise the property appraisal. Mind you this does'nt mean your actual property value went up, just the appraisal. Some areas of our county had valuations go up over 1000%. Guess I got out cheap.
http://www.wcmessenger.com/data/news/EkEZplAEEpMGEfkPUf.php
Mav, your paying property taxes. It's just in the form of fuel tax. The tax man commeth, regardless.

They are most likely trying to prep you to sell, RPM...You'll be happy to get out from under the tax burden, and you'll like the price you get...

[mietla]

CA

around $5000 for a 3000 sq ft. 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath, living room, family room and huge bonus room. 2 car garage. We bought it for $325k 12 years ago. Today it's worth a million or so.

It's prop 13 that saves us. Those buggers in Sacramento would tax the snot out of us. Prop 13 limits the yearly increases, so the folks can't forced out of their own houses for not being able to pay the prop tax. Of course once they are forced to sell, the state and feds come for all the money they've made with income tax.

Prop 13 fixes that.

[Nilsen]

I pay a few burgers worth of property tax. Next year it goes away completly. Our city has decided to skip it. 

[uptown]

The house I live in is on a lot 150'x94', 3 bedroom, 1 bath, full basement and 2 car garage 494.00 a year. I own the house next door also and it's on a 1/2 lot, 2 bedroom,1/2 bath, no basement or garage..runs me 64.00 a year.

[eskimo2]

DREDIOCK, Our houses are very similar minus the 1/2 bath and out building. Plus I have a basement. Our taxes here are about $4,300 a year.

My problem is school taxes. With not having any children I feel I shouldn't have to pay school tax or it should be discounted. When I went to school I attended private schools that my parents paid tuition for. I feel they shouldn't have to pay school tax either.

So the only people who should pay school taxes are those who actually have kids in public school?  How can a “public school” be public if it only charges those families who actually have kids in public school?  If only middle class and wealthy families can afford private schools, how can we expect everyone else, including the majority of poor and young families to afford essentially the same thing?  (I know, screw them for being poor and having kids; let them figure it out the hard way.  Fifteen years later you’re wondering why some mugger punk killed a family member and you find yourself installing bars on your windows, etc.)

Children/offspring are a fact of life for all species; without them we (or any living thing) would have died out long ago.  We all have been interdependent on each other as far back as we can tell.  Even if you choose, or can’t, have children, it is not reasonable to claim that future generations are not your responsibility or problem.  It’s kind of like a library, road, park, sewer, fire station or the FDA; just because you (or many others) don’t think that you will ever use any particular thing does not mean that they are not integral to what has made our society great, safe, functional and a desirable place to live.  Should we have separate societies for those who appreciate and pay for for the collective society and those who want all of their resources going to themselves?  Think about what the latter would really look like.

It’s like going to an all you can eat Chinese buffet and then asking for a partial refund because you didn’t eat any of the pork fried rice.

P.S.
I am an underpaid Catholic school teacher.  I send my daughters to my school.  I pay over 5% of my annual income in property taxes.  I vote for all local school levies.  My city public school system is fantastic; I am glad that the other kids in my neighborhood and city also get a great education.  I’m very disappointed that voters turned down the last school levy and now bussing, afterschool sports and several educational positions are being cut. 

I also know that continuing a good school system makes my town a desirable place to live which helps keep out the undesirables. 

[sluggish]

1400 sqft four bedroom bath and a half with two outbuldings on two an a half acres = $1600 a year.  It's still too much.

[CAP1]

1400 sqft four bedroom bath and a half with two outbuldings on two an a half acres = $1600 a year.  It's still too much.

ya know...i'm gonna snap a picture of my house next time i get home in the daylight....then ya can see what we get to pay $5300 a year for here in the PRNJ

 i'd LOVE to be only paying 1600 for my property. 100 year old house. not a classic 100 years old....a USED BEAT to death 100 years old. looks like it was put together by a bunch of drunken monekys. the hallway is 1 foot narrower in the back than it is in the front of the house.

 anyone in the south jersey area knows what ya get in lindenwold.  the speedline brings in plenty of quality people from camden. the police love to set up speed traps on chews landing road, and the white horse pike.

 i can't figure out and don't know where to look to find out where my property tax moneyu goes...or why it's sooo potato peelin high.......

[sluggish]

Here in Mi outbuildings don't count against you unless they have a permanant foundation and are larger than 300 sqft.  Both mine are treated lumber sitting on the ground and just under 300 sqft.  If I had an attached garage my taxes would be doubled.  Imagine if I carpeted it...

[Slamfire]

thats pretty much the jest of it.
My mother used to have a state job.
...
the next year instead of being rewarded for a job well done.
They get their budget cut to the point where they dont have enough.

So they HAVE to spend all the money in the budget and then some just to insure they get enough to cover rising prices on anything the next year

I did 10+ years as a Federal Civil Servant in the very beginning of my career...  I can confirm that what you say is true - every dept will always blow their entire budget for fear of losing it the following year.

"Hey guys, we're all getting new laptops"
"We're taking a retreat to a ski resort"
"New furniture - sweet!"
etc.

Government is all about blowing your budgets, empire building and justifying your existence...  I left in disgust for the private sector because of it.

[Maverick]

Uptown,

Just curious, where do you live?

[acfireguy26]

3 bedroom 2 bath single garage  1580 square feet of living space on 1 acre. $848 a year in east central Alabama. Oh my house is 2 years old and we paid $132,500 for it.

[SpazMan]

So the only people who should pay school taxes are those who actually have kids in public school?  How can a “public school” be public if it only charges those families who actually have kids in public school?  If only middle class and wealthy families can afford private schools, how can we expect everyone else, including the majority of poor and young families to afford essentially the same thing?  (I know, screw them for being poor and having kids; let them figure it out the hard way.  Fifteen years later you’re wondering why some mugger punk killed a family member and you find yourself installing bars on your windows, etc.)

Children/offspring are a fact of life for all species; without them we (or any living thing) would have died out long ago.  We all have been interdependent on each other as far back as we can tell.  Even if you choose, or can’t, have children, it is not reasonable to claim that future generations are not your responsibility or problem.  It’s kind of like a library, road, park, sewer, fire station or the FDA; just because you (or many others) don’t think that you will ever use any particular thing does not mean that they are not integral to what has made our society great, safe, functional and a desirable place to live.  Should we have separate societies for those who appreciate and pay for for the collective society and those who want all of their resources going to themselves?  Think about what the latter would really look like.

It’s like going to an all you can eat Chinese buffet and then asking for a partial refund because you didn’t eat any of the pork fried rice.

P.S.
I am an underpaid Catholic school teacher.  I send my daughters to my school.  I pay over 5% of my annual income in property taxes.  I vote for all local school levies.  My city public school system is fantastic; I am glad that the other kids in my neighborhood and city also get a great education.  I’m very disappointed that voters turned down the last school levy and now bussing, afterschool sports and several educational positions are being cut. 

I also know that continuing a good school system makes my town a desirable place to live which helps keep out the undesirables. 

Your right on one point they're PUBLIC schools. Which means the public should be paying for them not just people  that own property. Not everyone that lives in rental property is poor. Yeah and I do feel if I'm unable to have children that I shouldn't be paying the full shot. It should be based on the number of children you decide to have. Maybe give up some of the tax incentives people get for having kids.

Oh and BTW if some punk mugger decides to pull up on me, besides the fact I'm 6'2" and 320lbs he'd be looking down the barrel of my 9. Screw barring up the windows, I can always drag him back in.