I mean I paid for it like I would anything else I wanted. They charge a tax at checkout. So if I buy a house and pay the whole thing off, why do I still have to pay taxes on said house when I paid the whole agreed on price in full? It would be like me buying a six pack of beer I pay for it and tax at checkout. But then timely I have to keep paying taxes on the beer even though paid in full?
You’re paying taxes for the land your house sits on. These taxes go towards things like road construction on your street, sidewalk maintenance etc. What sucks though is the homeowner is often responsible for the pipes under the home. Which I think should be covered by taxes as well.
Why? They belong to the city up untill the border of your yard and from there it’s your pipes, not the city’s. They didn’t install those - the builder hired a plumber for it.
About 75% of my property taxes go to schools. They are currently spending $18,000 per child per year.
That’s an expensive Chromebook
Ok so I pay taxes on daily goods . These taxes go to road construction, schools, sidewalks and whatever. And that tax is about 10% of my receipt I get. How come they don’t use that money and piss off me?
The choice is between sales tax or property tax. Different counties and states can have different policies regarding that. What it comes down to is who should be paying more in taxes given the overall amount collected stays the same. If you put more emphasis on sales tax, then more of the tax burden is put on people with less wealth who don’t own properties. If you put more emphasis on property tax, then more of the tax burden is on wealthier people who do own properties. So the question is who should have a bigger tax burden, rich or poor?
Some communities choose a different balance, lower property taxes and higher consumption taxes for example. The fact is that you expect certain services when you buy a house and that money has to come from somewhere. Generations of homeowners before you have voted to set things up the way they are, and you’re free to vote for someone with different ideas!
Lower taxes and higher consumption tax I am totally for.
You missed the biggest one that most anti-tax arguers don’t think about. It’s not the fact that you’re paying taxes to support society that’s the problem, it’s how that money is being applied correctly. A tax based on use/demand makes sense in some instances, like road maintenance and development tied to gas tax. But things like schools and utilities should be based on what they need to support the community, not how often it gets used.
But if your taxes in any area is being wasted or misdirected, that is where you should be angry, not at the fact you’re paying a tax for something. Better utilization and less fraud mean lower taxes with the same application, which is what you were wanting.
But how many citizens are even aware of where the money goes? They just see their bill and think they’re paying too much, not why.
Toy model economics wise, you’ll note that consumption tax means less consumption means fewer jobs means less consumption means even higher consumption tax, until you’ve got no city.
Tax on capital isn’t great, in that people choose other capital or avoid keeping + improving it. But tax on land is the ‘least bad tax’, see georgism (by the guy who invented monopoly!).
Taxes on foods goes to your state, which is then used for schools, construction, libraries etc etc.