• deegeese@sopuli.xyz
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    2 days ago

    Taxes based on assets tax those with assets, instead of income taxes which tax those who work.

    If old man owns such a valuable piece of land, he deserves to pay his fair share for the public services he used.

    It’s like saying you don’t want to pay for schools because you’re not a student.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      The fact that schools are funded by the surrounding area is crap and needs to change. He’s retired with a social security income. He paid into the system his entire life already. Telling him he must sell and move out because he’s not wealthy enough is exactly what we should be working against. It’s a system by the wealthy, for the wealthy.

      • bizarroland@fedia.io
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        2 days ago

        Of course you are looking at outliers and I feel like you’re right to the point that outliers like that should have special assessments or breaks.

        Where I live, the taxes are pretty high for real estate, but if you are a senior citizen, you can get a discount where your tax rate is locked in at the value that it was when you retired.

        I also have some acquaintances who inherited a house and at the time houses were very cheap but they didn’t pay the taxes and they were super upset that they were going to lose their house because they didn’t pay the taxes.

        So now they’re bunking up and living in apartments and Scattered because they didn’t want to drum up the two or three thousand dollars a year in real estate taxes that they had to pay to keep an entire house.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          Yeah and those laws are great for keeping people who want to age in place in their homes. Unfortunately they aren’t the norm. Usually it’s just a discount but it still goes up.

      • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        The fact that schools are funded by the surrounding area is crap and needs to change. It’s a system by the wealthy, for the wealthy.

        Unless there is an article or background on the guy in the picture you’re projecting a HUGE amount of stuff you just made up on that guy.

        He’s retired with a social security income.

        That’s what his sign says. I take him at his word on that one.

        He paid into the system his entire life already.

        Well, no he didn’t. He didn’t start paying into it until he started earning money. Likely for the first 18 years of his life, he lived of what other people put into the system. Many of those people that paid for him are in the situation he’s in right now, except now he sees it as unfair.

        Telling him he must sell and move out

        No one is telling him to move out. He certainly isn’t saying he will be forced to move if he has to continue to pay property taxes. You just made that up.

        because he’s not wealthy enough is exactly what we should be working against.

        He’s not saying he is not wealthy enough. You just made that up. In fact, his sign is indicating he does have he wealth to cover the property taxes via his Social Security. He’s saying he doesn’t’ believe he should have to pay anything one something he bought decades ago while he continues to enjoy the services of the city and society the tax dollars pay for.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          No, that’s how American K-12 schools are funded. That and infrastructure. Which is why poor areas have worse schools and roads; and police from outside their tax area. Which is both a great way to punish the poor in the old school protestant fashion and force them out the second the wealthy want their land.

          And you know exactly what I mean by paying in his entire life.

          Finally, paying half your income on property taxes is not financially sustainable. It’s ridiculous to me that you would even pretend it is.

          • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            No, that’s how American K-12 schools are funded.

            Partially true, but not absolutely. K-12 in many places in the USA are funded through property taxes. I’m in the USA and my public school system is funded via income tax. No property taxes go to school.

            That and infrastructure.

            True in some places. False in others. Some places derive income from high property taxes. Other places choose high sales taxes. Yet others do it on income tax.

            Which is why poor areas have worse schools and roads; and police from outside their tax area. Which is both a great way to punish the poor in the old school protestant fashion and force them out the second the wealthy want their land.

            Again, partially true. Some states have state taxes that fund various projects at the municipal level irrespective of the wealth of the locality.

            I don’t disagree that a more equitble system for funding schools should be designed and implemented, but you know know that because I’m trying to have that discussion with you in another thread and you’re weak as water on that and won’t discuss any specifics except “someone else should pay”.

            And you know exactly what I mean by paying in his entire life.

            I know your words on that don’t match reality, and you’re skipping a really important part of that reality. I’ll admit I was wrong one part of that. I said he likely started “paying into the system at age 18”. We know thats wrong. His sign tells us he built his house at age 25. Age 25 is when he would be first paying the property taxes he’s complaining about. So he’s spent even less time paying into the system and already wants to be except from it for the society benefits he still gets.

            Finally, paying half your income on property taxes is not financially sustainable. It’s ridiculous to me that you would even pretend it is.

            Again, you’re making stuff up from nothing. What are his expenses? He owns his house. He’s retired so his healthcare is covered by Medicare. If he’s living on just social security he’s likely not even paying income tax because his income is low. What are his other expenses? Food? Clothing? Electricity? Water? He might have a well and not even have that bill. Are you saying half his income can’t cover those things? Further, we have no idea what he earned in life. Did he spend it on stupid stuff? We don’t know. I’m certainly not claiming any of my assumptions of him as fact, but that isn’t stopping you from doing so.

              • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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                2 days ago

                So you’re just doubling down on what if this and that.

                No. I pointed out many things that are unambiguous with the information that was actually reported on the sign.

                Or to use your level of speech: So you’re just doubling down on projecting your own narrative that is contradicted by the only actual information that sign communicates?

    • Kroxx@lemm.ee
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      2 days ago

      Gotta be one of the most dogshit takes I’ve ever seen, hope you’re evicted one day!