[KathrynAragon]

IF you make decent or better than decent income, the income tax in Arkansas far exceeds the difference in property taxes between Arkansas and Texas. The income tax (and other misc taxes - smaller but still there) was the killer in our plan to move to Arkansas.

We were looking at a comparable home to the one we live in now in northeast Texas. The difference in the property taxes was about $1200 - the Texas property taxes were higher. But the state income tax in Arkansas was much higher than that $100 a month difference in the property taxes.

Of course, I guess we could have opted to just make a lot less money but that doesn't seem to make sense for either us, or the economy in general.

I am not an Arkansas hater. My family comes largely from Arkansas and it's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember even though I've never really lived there. It's a beautiful state and the people are so friendly. I really like many things about it - so much so that we picked out a house and were minutes away from making an offer on it in Arkansas. But I am being realistic and honest - it seems like much of the state infrastructure is geared to make it easier to live in Arkansas if you're poor and harder to live or move there if you're well off - which seems counter productive to me.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

IF you make decent or better than decent income, the income tax in Arkansas far exceeds the difference in property taxes between Arkansas and Texas. The income tax (and other misc taxes - smaller but still there) was the killer in our plan to move to Arkansas.

We were looking at a comparable home to the one we live in now in northeast Texas. The difference in the property taxes was about $1200 - the Texas property taxes were higher. But the state income tax in Arkansas was much higher than that $100 a month difference in the property taxes.

Of course, I guess we could have opted to just make a lot less money but that doesn't seem to make sense for either us, or the economy in general.

I am not an Arkansas hater. My family comes largely from Arkansas and it's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember even though I've never really lived there. It's a beautiful state and the people are so friendly. I really like many things about it - so much so that we picked out a house and were minutes away from making an offer on it in Arkansas. But I am being realistic and honest - it seems like much of the state infrastructure is geared to make it easier to live in Arkansas if you're poor and harder to live or move there if you're well off - which seems counter productive to me.

I know each situation is different and you and I normally agree, but I would have to say, in this case we do not see eye to eye. As I said, there are areas and situations that differ, but we found most things cheaper here. When we left the DFW area in 2001 our property taxes on a zero lot line, cheaply built home were over 2,000.00 a year. Here are taxes are less than a $1,000.00 in a much better area and on 1/2 acre lot. There are advantages for seniors here we didn't have in Texas of NM. Our daughter had a similar experience when they moved from Texas to AR. Not to mention the cost of home insurance is much higher in Texas.

Less expensive here compared to our experience in Texas and NM: dentists; dog boarding and grooming, plus vet charges; Also yard help and house cleaning. Utility bills here are much less.


Now, in fairness, that is why I say it depends on the circumstances: we do have that nasty food tax you don't have; yes, we have state income tax you don't have and flying in and out of XNA is not only a pain in the arse, but expensive.

I think it is sometimes hard to judge, based on the standard things, where the col in lower, but I do know, according to charts our col is lower than Texas. I am sure, your living in Tyler makes this a totally different story. I am comparing everything to the DFW area.

I think the point of all this is, the couple people who are posting negatives here (not you by any means) are extremely biased or not thinking things through.

BTW: our granddaughters used to swim in Tyler once or twice in the summer while we were all still living in Texas. I always thought it we stayed in TX I would want to check out living there.

[gemstone1]

It is probably cheaper to buy goods and services in AR vs TX....because average wages are about 10-20% lower in AR...but don't take my word for it...here are the government stats: Average wage by state.

For the record, I looked at job classification:

11-9111 $18K difference 18%
11-3021 $29K difference 20%
11-3121 $28K difference 23%
25-1072 $ 6K difference 9%

That is a big premium one must pay to live and work in the natural state.

Will the tax structure make up the difference ?

Regards
Gemstone1

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I know each situation is different and you and I normally agree, but I would have to say, in this case we do not see eye to eye. As I said, there are areas and situations that differ, but we found most things cheaper here. When we left the DFW area in 2001 our property taxes on a zero lot line, cheaply built home were over 2,000.00 a year. Here are taxes are less than a $1,000.00 in a much better area and on 1/2 acre lot. There are advantages for seniors here we didn't have in Texas of NM. Our daughter had a similar experience when they moved from Texas to AR. Not to mention the cost of home insurance is much higher in Texas.

Less expensive here compared to our experience in Texas and NM: dentists; dog boarding and grooming, plus vet charges; Also yard help and house cleaning. Utility bills here are much less.


Now, in fairness, that is why I say it depends on the circumstances: we do have that nasty food tax you don't have; yes, we have state income tax you don't have and flying in and out of XNA is not only a pain in the arse, but expensive.

I think it is sometimes hard to judge, based on the standard things, where the col in lower, but I do know, according to charts our col is lower than Texas. I am sure, your living in Tyler makes this a totally different story. I am comparing everything to the DFW area.

I think the point of all this is, the couple people who are posting negatives here (not you by any means) are extremely biased or not thinking things through.

BTW: our granddaughters used to swim in Tyler once or twice in the summer while we were all still living in Texas. I always thought it we stayed in TX I would want to check out living there.

Oh yes, every situation is different and I'm just relaying our personal experience for our situation. In our case, Arkansas overall cost of living was significantly higher than it would be in northeast Texas.

You bring up a good point - Arkansas is a good fit for retirees/seniors often. I agree with that. That's because of the lower income of seniors and retirees for the most part. People with lower, fixed incomes may find that Arkansas overall is less expensive, but that's what I mean by the state seeming to cater to a lower income situation. With higher incomes (which would be good for the Arkansas economy in general), that state income tax quickly offsets and surpasses other elements that might be lower in cost. IN our case the difference was $7000 or more a year increase. That was simply not realistic for us. I mean, I like Arkansas, and some people might consider it worth $7000 more a year to live in Arkansas but personally I would rather spend that money on vacation or put it in a retirement account!

I mean, I can use part of that $7000 in savings to go to Arkansas for vacation! Arkansas has a lot of natural beauty and I like so much about it. It's a shame it wasn't financially feasible for us to move there.

But that's OK - we love Tyler, Texas. Thanks for the compliments - we do think it's a really pleasant area of the country. For what it's worth, I'm glad we live 1.5 hours AWAY from DFW. Nice place to go occasionally but I'd hate to live there!

My brother lives up near the Missouri border in northern Arkansas. It's gorgeous up there. I just hate he's so far away.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

You bring up a good point - Arkansas is a good fit for retirees/seniors often. I agree with that. That's because of the lower income of seniors and retirees for the most part. People with lower, fixed incomes may find that Arkansas overall is less expensive, but that's what I mean by the state seeming to cater to a lower income situation.

I agree with that, too. Lot of the super nice folks I've been talking with on the Arkansas forums are retirees, and I never really stopped to consider this. Maybe I need to reach out to a few 40 something professionals such as myself for additional advice?

For what it's worth, the manager I interviewed with in Bentonville called me back today and said the offer I received was the incorrect one, as the job title HR was basing it on was not the actual one I had applied for. As a result, it actually turned out to be 7 bucks an hour less than what I make here in TX, not 11. I still had to say no, but it did give me a ray of hope that someone else could possibly go even higher to the point we could actually consider it. Not throwing in the towel quite yet. Still have a few applications out in the Little Rock area. The other 2 hospitals in NWA called and said no positions currently available.

In addition to Arkansas and possibly remaining here in TX, we're also considering returning to our native land up in Michigan. Lot of family up there.....none down here, unfortunately.

[USERXXXX]

Originally Posted by DC at the Ridge

Yes, you are wrong on numbers.

The average house price, $147,000. And that buys a 3 bedroom 2 bath house around 1750 sf.

I took my parents out to dinner last week, and we were not charged 11% sales tax.

My friend, you need to have a look at your bill again.
Fayetteville charge 11.75% sales tax for restaurant.
9.75% regular sales tax and 2% just for cooked food.

For "average" price? I do not want to "average" price with a knockoff house $20,000 house in Springdale, because we know you will never live that kind of knock off house.

[Hollynla]

Originally Posted by USERXXXX

My friend, you need to have a look at your bill again.
Fayetteville charge 11.75% sales tax for restaurant.
9.75% regular sales tax and 2% just for cooked food.

For "average" price? I do not want to "average" price with a knockoff house $20,000 house in Springdale, because we know you will never live that kind of knock off house.

What does that even mean? Do facts get in the way of your argument?

[gemstone1]

"9.75% regular sales tax and 2% just for cooked food".....am I reading it wrong? I see 9.75% total sales tax

[LiveLoveLaugh]

When I read this thread I had a feeling they were going to get back to yoy with a higher offer. I would continue to negotiate with them if I were you. Tell them your bottom line and why it makes sense for them! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain! Good luck!!!

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by LiveLoveLaugh

When I read this thread I had a feeling they were going to get back to yoy with a higher offer.

Well I initially sent the guy an e-mail apologizing for not knowing the pay was so much lower there, and when he didn't reply right away I figured he might be mad at me for wasting their time. But when he left a message with me this morning saying "Call me back" I figured something was up. I don't know if he might have talked the powers that be into tacking on a few extra bucks per hr. or if there really was a mistake made with the job posting, but either way it's flattering to be wanted. If it's meant to be then it will come about. At the very least it gave me hope that the wages may not have been so incredibly low as I had thought, and that we may still have a chance to get over there.