Property tax in the valley... (Fairbanks, Wasilla: condo, house, buy)

[Jerseykat]

14mil is a good number, 9.9 is great! Look on the bright side if you were in NJ you'd be thrilled with AK taxes.
Sit back...embrace the horror that is NJ taxation.
Each town here has it's own taxes so it doesn't convert to the mil system. But ballparking on mine it's about 14.9 if you attempted a conversion. We tax based on the assessed value not the real value which are poles apart.
Don't forget sewer taxes (mine about $250 year) based on water usage.
Then there is the income tax in NJ of which floats from 1.4% to 8.97% ($40K - 75K is 5.525% or $2762.50 on a 50K salary).
Of course there are federal income taxes.
Then there are state sales taxes of 7% on sales & use, food and drugs are exempt but soda, candy, alcohol are taxed. But you could score a 3.5% sales tax if you shop in a UEZ (urban enterprise zone), basically the hood.
Buying a car or boat can hit you with a tax in the thousands...ouch.
Oh and we pay to drive on our highways, aren't we blessed!

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by AQHA

Are the taxes in Anchorage any less? I don't know where one could go to avoid the taxes while staying on the road system.

Yes, the Mill Rate is currently a full point less in Anchorage, however, the median price of a home is considerably higher in Anchorage than in the valley. Even though the Mill Rate is lower, they are still paying more in property taxes than valley residents.

If you want to avoid paying property taxes and still be on the road system, you need to find property that is not located inside a Borough.

South central eastern Alaska (east of Lake Louise) near Glennallen is outside the Mat-Su Borough, and therefore there are no property taxes. The same is also true for property east of Delta Junction. Delta Junction is outside the Fairbanks North Star Borough, and therefore has no property tax.

Of course no property taxes also means no services or schools.

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by AQHA

Are the taxes in Anchorage any less? I don't know where one could go to avoid the taxes while staying on the road system.

Not really. http://www.muni.org/departments/fina...Web%20site.pdf

Not that far off with the rate and property values are higher...

There are areas on the road system in the Unorganized Borough...not all that close to Anchorage though. There's areas in Southcentral AK without taxes. My property near Manley Hot Springs (Interior) has no taxes. Of course that means far fewer services but I don't care too much about those "services"...

[Marty Van Diest]

I think the closest you can be to Anchorage and avoid property taxes is Nelchina which is about 150 miles or so from Anchorage. That's quite a commute. I know some valley residents that have moved just over that line.

[Nephler]

We were paying 20+ Mills back in MI, so the tax here seems like a bargain.

I do agree the population density here is nuts. That's one of the reasons we'll be moving out of this area, in time.

[Jerseykat]

Ouch Nephler. Is the population dense in the valley? From outside the impression is that it's pretty wide open, even the burbs.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by Nephler

We were paying 20+ Mills back in MI, so the tax here seems like a bargain.

Except for the fact that average property values in Michigan are a fraction of what they are in Alaska, so even at a Mill Rate of 20 the property tax is still less.

[Nephler]

I guess it depends on where you may be coming from. We came from a town of about 1,500, and about 33,000 in the whole county. So, Wasilla is huge to us, and the traffic here just plain sucks.

But, as far as cost of things, most are less here and some are more.

[Nephler]

Originally Posted by Glitch

Except for the fact that average property values in Michigan are a fraction of what they are in Alaska, so even at a Mill Rate of 20 the property tax is still less.

That's now, not just a couple years ago, property had very high values where we were. Now just about everything is about 1/4 the value is was in MI.

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Jerseykat

Is the population dense in the valley?

Yes, and they're not much smarter in Anchorage either!