Text 13570, 112 rader
Skriven 2011-01-11 01:07:45 av Roy Witt (1:387/22)
  Kommentar till text 13528 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
Ärende: Taxes
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09 Jan 11 17:33, Robert Bashe wrote to Roy Witt:

 RB> Roy Witt wrote to Bob Ackley on Saturday January 08 2011 at 01:20:

 RB> Just wanted to thank Bob and you for all the comments on taxes in the
 RB> States. In some cases, my information is apparently out of date.

 RB> You still pay much less tax on gas than here, but I was surprised to
 RB> hear of the yearly "registration fee" for a car.

I'm surprised that you weren't aware of this. When I bought my first car
in 1956, it had to be registered on an annual basis to legally be driven
on the road. At that time, the state provided new plates every year.

 RB> They have that in Germany too, but not just since recently, and it's
 RB> now based on the CO2 emissions. Used to be based on straight motor
 RB> displacement.

Illinois did it that way for years. California charged by the value of the
vehicle, which declines over the years, while Texas has a straight fee
based on value, but at a much lower rate and fee.

 RB> Your sales taxes are much lower than here, but there is only one here
 RB> - from the federal government. No extra sales or income taxes by
 RB> state or municipality.

The feds charge excise taxes on certain items, such as fuel, vehicles,
jewelry, etc..

 BA>>> the feds hit you with excise taxes on some things, and the counties
 BA>>> hit you for a grand or two a year in property tax on your house.

 RW>> Just part of owning or renting a house to live in.

 RB> True, but in the States and Canada (at least where I've lived), there
 RB> is also a "school tax" added to the property tax, and that has often
 RB> been higher than the property tax.

That's correct. Your real property is assessed by it's value and the tax
is based on so much per (.025 cents) $100 in value. Then they add on the
school tax, which is, as you say, much more than the property tax. Nice
thing about Texas vs California is that the property/school tax is about
the same but there is no income tax in Texas.

 RB> There is no such tax here in Germany. Educational expenses are paid
 RB> by the state governments, who get a percentage of the federal sales
 RB> tax (actually "value added tax", although you wonder where the added
 RB> value is in many cases) for this purpose.

Your students are one year smarter than they were last year. Or so you
hope.

 RB> The federal government _must_ keep out of education (as specified by
 RB> the Grundgesetz = constitution) because the Nazis misused the
 RB> national educational system of the time for indoctrination, and
 RB> people are very hesitant to allow such a possibility again.

That's how church schools think in the states and why the parents pay
tuition from grade school through high school.

 RW>> You never really own any home outright, because you're always
 RW>> obligated to pay the county property tax on it.

 RB> I sometimes refer to home ownership as a "lifetime rental". You pay
 RB> taxes, upkeep, energy, but in the end, all you're doing is buying a
 RB> roof over your head for life (or as long as you keep paying).

That's exactly what it is. One thing you left out is that your lifetime
rental could also be a lifetime rental for your heirs.

 BA>>> Some states - Nebraska and Iowa among them - also assess an annual
 BA>>> 'personal property tax' on everything you own...

 RB> This used to be the case in Germany too - with generous exemptions -
 RB> but was declared unconstitutional some 12-15 years ago and repealed.
 RB> There's meanwhile (last 3-4 years) an income tax surcharge for large
 RB> incomes - I believe over EUR 500,000 annually - but it only amounts
 RB> to around 2% of the tax and doesn't affect most of the population.

The city of San Diego sent me a notice that my business sign was being
assessed a tax for existing on the building. I asked them if they had
taxed me for last years usage or for future usage. They indicated that it
was a tax for future use, so I took it down and refused to pay for 'non
use' of the sign that wasn't displayed on the building...

 RB>>>> Is your pension around $900 a month? Mine is.

 RW>> About twice that, less $100/mo for medicare. Supplemental health
 RW>> insurance that pays the 20% that medicare doesn't, costs about
 RW>> $130/month.

 RB> Doesn't sound bad. Is the supplemental health insurance worth the
 RB> price, in your opinion?

My dad bragged about his hospital stay costing him zilch because of the
supplemental insurance. He had spent 3 months in intensive care after an
operation went bad. I'd say that the supplemental is worth every dime if
you're cronically ill and can't afford to pay the health care costs on
your own.

 RB> And can you opt in at any time, without a health check?

You can opt in between November 15 through March 15...once a year.
Obamacare is supposed to allow existing health problems to be covered. I'm
not optimistic about that ever happening though.

                R\%/itt

  Fox News was not used as a source for information in this message!

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