Yearly Taxes, Up Up UP

**3TailsWaggin** · 10-07-2009, 08:26 PM

Well, here in Charleston County they have sent out the property tax bills. Got mine today. It's up almost $400 from last year. I wouldn't mind at all if I actually got something... but I don't. We don't even have police that will come when called. No garbage pick up. No road improvement. No town improvement. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Charleston County says "due to the economy we need the additional money."

Well, heh, guess what, none of us have the money either.

This just sucks big time.

**Buddysmom** · 10-07-2009, 08:39 PM

Oh, Linda. That's terrible. We haven't gotten ours here in Berkeley County yet. I expect them anyday. We have a 15% cap, but still...

**Labs4life** · 10-08-2009, 09:43 AM

I'm not sure yet what size increase we are looking at yet. A neighboring town is asking for 54%. This is a typical tactic to eventually sway the public into thinking that the 23% increase they eventually get is saving them money.

I pay combined school,county and town tax of $ 3,800.00. Not bad for a run down ole crack house! If my house was 200K double the taxes.

**Melissa** · 10-08-2009, 09:47 AM

~whispers~ ours actually have gone down the last two years.

**MidwestGirl** · 10-08-2009, 09:50 AM

We will get ours next month...I dread it.

**Labs4life** · 10-08-2009, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by Melissa

~whispers~ ours actually have gone down the last two years.

I hyperventalated for a minute there! Whoa! We don't know the word dekreace.... dicreses.... decreese.... errr lowered, in our part of the world

**Maple1** · 10-08-2009, 09:54 AM

Where do you guys live that property taxes increase 20+% in 1 year? I want to make sure not to move there.

BTW - how much are your property taxes as a percent of your home's market value? Ours are about 1.2% I think.

**Labs4life** · 10-08-2009, 10:17 AM

Originally Posted by Maple1

Where do you guys live that property taxes increase 20+% in 1 year? I want to make sure not to move there.

BTW - how much are your property taxes as a percent of your home's market value? Ours are about 1.2% I think.

New York State. Upstate New York to be exact. Close to 4% of the market value.

When you have a very hungry large famous metropolis that takes the bulk of the state funding. The counties are left to fend for themselves. State required mandates that are good for NYC is not necessarily good for Upstate.

For example Medicaid has about 40 + components, 20 are required to be taken by every state as per the Feds. The remaining modules or components are optional for the states to carry. NYS decided to go the full 40. Our county can't afford the full 40 so it's in our property taxes and 9% sales tax. NYC can afford the full 40 due to tourism and outside dollars which we don't/can't generate as easy.

The best thing that could happen to Upstate New York would be to saw off the downstate area from Westchester and south, make it a separate state. That way upstate can sell it's natural gas,drinking water and everything else funneled that way and recoup some of our money.

We have the cheapest hydro generated electrical power in the world but it goes right over our heads to feed NYC. On top of that they want to build super huge transmission lines across our properties to feed even more power. We have entire resevoirs and lakes that the public can't use because it is drinking water for NYC. Just a few short years ago we could swim and fish these lakes now they are off limits.

Many of those who live in the 5 boroughs think we are nothing but hicks but need to realize the entire state does not revolve around the needs of NYC. These same people forget that the lights they have, the water they drink and the food they eat comes from us hicks. Sending a little biz our way once in awhile would be a nice gesture.

**Aim** · 10-08-2009, 10:32 AM

Ours goes up every year.

But we get a lot for our taxes, so I try not to complain. We have great roads, beautiful city parks, garbage pick up, etc...