Will Work for Taxes

Safe Haven ^ | Jan 8 2008 | Thee Mogambo Guru

[DuncanWaring]

“Forearms”. Yep, got two of ‘em myself. Also have several more “firearms”.

[Alberta's Child]

This article is not about taxes that are too high . . . it is about taxes that are too high for certain people. See Post #43. There is a hidden agenda at work here, and it is part of an ongoing process under which more and more people (in this case, an elderly person living on a fixed income) will end up being supported at the expense of a shrinking number of taxpayers.

[Dixie Yooper]

the point it that she obviously cannot afford to pay her property taxes and therefore has been designated - by the government - as a serf directed to toil for the government at whatever said government deems appropriate for her - whether she likes it or not - or face the loss of her long-time residence.

The original article that started this whole "pull at your heart strings story" had a quote from her where it said that she loved the idea of getting to work again.

[Emrys]

You have to understand something about property taxes in New York State. First, County governments are responsible for funding 25% of the Medicaid bill the state sets. In some counties 100% of the property tax levy goes to pay this 25%. We are not that bad in my county, but that is only because our County Executive has been a good steward. I pay $10,500 a year on a $330,000 home. $6500 of that is for schools.

Second, assessment is a scam. It has no meaning. A house is worth only what someone will pay for it on the open market. For purposes of refi I have my home assessed at the highest possible figure. For the purposes of tax levy I have it assessed at the lowest. If assessment was a real thing those two numbers would be the same, but they are not.

IMHO property taxes violate the 5th and 14th amendments to the Constitution and should be outlawed.

[Dixie Yooper]

does it matter if she has it and its paid for?

If your talking about her mortgage, then it matters. This is about property taxes, which will continue long after she dies. Who ever owns the property pays the taxes.

[Dixie Yooper]

how far have we strayed since 1776?

About 232 years

[Dixie Yooper]

Her house appears to be a modest rancher surrounded by newly built McMansions

Where did you get this not very specific information from?

[sure_fine]

the does it matter is that she owns it, the assesed tax is pure BS as far as I am concerned

[sure_fine]

... and, as far as I am concerned, school tax should stop when retirement starts, they should collect enough from those who actually have jobs that live in that community

[Dixie Yooper]

I'll put you down, along with Marx, as being in favor of a graduated income tax. Why does it matter what she has or has not? Does she have a greater or lesser stake in the government than her townsmen?

This story is about property taxes, not income taxes. Property taxes no matter where in the country you live are all about how much property and what's on it when it comes to taxes. Do you own any property?

[sure_fine]

” we will take things from you for the greater good “

[ottbmare]

Just a little research. Tracked down her address and looked on Google Earth to see what the actual lot size and roof appearance of the house is. She lives on a court with houses of varying sizes and hers is nothing large or fancy. I have no idea what the actual sales value of her house would be. That area, near White Plains, used to be working class but has been gentrified lately so that the houses her court backs up to are large.

[Mr. Jeeves]

People just have to keep in mind that all land and property ultimately belongs to the government. “Ownership” of real estate grants the “owner” a somewhat greater degree of control over the property than a renter has, but the “owner” still pays rent in the form of property taxes and the government can take its property back from the “owner” any time it feels like doing so.

[Dixie Yooper]

In NY, especially the “nicer” areas, $12K(in taxes) isn’t much of a house. When I was in the Binghamton area, we paid about $6K in property taxes on a 1450 sqft house situated on a 150x50 lot. Greenburgh, IIRC, is downstate - nearer the city, in the money ‘burbs.

An excellent comparison to the kind of information I was looking for. Thank you!

[ovrtaxt]

lol no doubt!

[Alberta's Child]

I should correct myself . . . this article is right along the lines of what you’ve stated, but this story first came to light within the last week or so in a number of articles about the impact of high property taxes on senior citizens. Make no mistake about it — the ultimate goal here in the New York City area is a California-type system under which people who live in an area for a long time pay lower property taxes than their neighbors.

[camle]

i bet she just LOVES her new job. they wouldn’t print anything about those who ar retired and want to stay that way, but are forced to work at whatever the city choses simply in order to keep their homes.

[ml/nj]

Do you own any property?

Yes, as should be obvious to you if you've been reading the posts on this thread.

ML/NJ

[ml/nj]

I've tracked down the house in question, I think. If I could figure out how to embed this link you could see it at the seven o'clock position on the dead-end circle visible at:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=6+GREENACRES+LN,+WHITE+PLAINS,+NY+10607&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=46.630055,104.238281&ie=UTF8&t=h&om=1&ll=41.033083,-73.831902&spn=0.001991,0.002435&z=18

ML/NJ

[Dixie Yooper]

Just a little research. Tracked down her address and looked on Google Earth to see what the actual lot size and roof appearance of the house is. She lives on a court with houses of varying sizes and hers is nothing large or fancy. I have no idea what the actual sales value of her house would be. That area, near White Plains, used to be working class but has been gentrified lately so that the houses her court backs up to are large.

This is the kind of information I was talking about. If the original writer would have gone through the effort you did, and presented it as background, the story would have had an entirely different reaction. Instead it was written to make everyone angry. It appears to me that she should be thinking of selling, or get her family to help her out. If the local, county or state steps in to protect her, then it turns into a nanny-state situation.