[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Marianinark

My husband and his siblings are all native Arkansans. His youngest sister rattles off so fast I can hardly keep up wth her. The rest of the family talk slower, but not with a southern drawl.

Well maybe I will survive then.....

[Franklin, WI]

I'm looking to relocate from Wisconsin; want low taxes and nice year round weather. My husband and I are both active. Visited Hot Springs Village and loved the area, so beautiful. BUT everything seems so far away. Looking for that kind of atmosphere with stores, church, hospitals close by. Suburb of Little Rock? What do you think?

[strumpeace]

Arkansas = Not Low Taxes

People who move here are often disappointed in our tax structure. Most Southern states have relatively low tax burdens, but Arkansas is a heavily taxed state. Those of us who live here choose to do so for other reasons, and we just accept the tax structure for what it is.

[Stormcrow73]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

Arkansas = Not Low Taxes

People who move here are often disappointed in our tax structure. Most Southern states have relatively low tax burdens, but Arkansas is a heavily taxed state. Those of us who live here choose to do so for other reasons, and we just accept the tax structure for what it is.

Well...in my perspective AR has the lowest taxes of any state I've ever lived in in my adult life but seeing as how the only other one I've lived in is MD then my perspective could be skewed a bit. I don't know how they rate relative to WI but we have a couple of other people on this board who I think moved from there so maybe they can weigh in.

[paramour]

My partner's from Michigan (and lived for a decent length of time in California as well) and he complains about the taxes in AR. If I recall correctly, he claims the overall tax rate is better than other states but that we seem to tax "everything" whereas taxes weren't required (e.g., personal property tax) and/or were structured differently (i.e., cheaper) in locations that he lived previously. But, I could be confusing his explanation as it's been a while since that discussion occurred.

[strumpeace]

On the scale of the 'average person' from each state, Arkansas' average person ranks 12th in the nation for taxes paid as a percentage of income. I think that makes us the highest in the South.

Paramour's point is well-taken. The tax rates on each individual thing (sales, income, personal property, etc.) are not that high when looked at separately; it's the fact that everything is taxed that sometimes gets a bit annoying.

Remember -- In Arkansas, you actually have to pay (unless we don't have that anymore) a tax on your state income tax. You pay state income tax, then you pay a second tax that is based on the amount of your state income tax. Very goofy.

But I love living here. It's home.

[Sam I Am]

The flip side is that although we are taxed, the cost of living is actually much lower in most areas of the state than other areas of the country. Of course, I do realize the income is lower than other areas...I'm with Strum, though...taxes or not, I don't want to call anywhere else home. I look at housing prices in other areas and just gag...how people do it is beyond me.

[troutman12]

Hi everyone. First time user. Just wanted to say that I think Arkansas is a beautiful state. especially the western part. Y'all are lucky. I spent some time near Mena a few weeks ago and i dont think a fisherman could do much better than that area. Have a nice day.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Sam I Am

The flip side is that although we are taxed, the cost of living is actually much lower in most areas of the state than other areas of the country. Of course, I do realize the income is lower than other areas...I'm with Strum, though...taxes or not, I don't want to call anywhere else home. I look at housing prices in other areas and just gag...how people do it is beyond me.

I certainly agree: we had to weigh the pros and cons regarding cost of living and taxes when deciding to re-locate to AR. yes, the taxes are high but when I think about what we paid for our new home, what the property taxes are even compared to NM (which just got hit big time with a raise in property taxes) and I consider everything else, it looks darn good to us. Here in NM we are taxed on everything as well, except not food anymore. That is about the only good thing our governor has done for us.

Another issue few take into consideration is how will taxes affect you in relationship to your situation. For some, those who do not spend a great deal sales tax isn't as big an issue. This holds true for those in a lower income bracket when it comes to income tax. Each of us has to think of our situation. A tax that may affect me, may not apply to you and visa versa.

Nita

[ladyo]

My recent experience with Yellville. About 2 years ago I started buying a a small cabin on land contract from a person in Yellville. I was scheduled to move ther and became ill. I ended up staying with relatives while I dealt with my kidney issues. After a couple of months I was able to get a job and keep my payments on my home. My health has stabalized and I made plans to move to Yellville. I contacted a local man that does the yard work for me and asked him to straighten up the yard. He did and emailed me and stated my cabin no longer had my many boxes in it, nor my water tank in the back yard , nor my mail box. I was robbed. Most of my worldly possession were contained in boxes in my cabin. The cabin is located on the outskirts of town, next to a church/graveyard. I called the local sherriff and spoke with th lady dispatcher. She was insensitive and stated I should have expected to be robbed since the cabin was unoccupied. That was expected in that area. I then tried to phone th mayor to speak to him about my troubles and the lady that answered the phone would not take my name or number and said I would just have to drop in and try to catch him to speak to him. He doesnt keep regular hours. I felt victimized by the criminals and further victimized by the insensitive police and local government. I also emailed the local chamber of commerence and still havent gotten a reply. The problem is that I cant sell the property because it being land contract. If I backed out of the deal I would loose thousands of dollars. I dont think Yellville deserves a nurse with over 15 years experience. All of what I have researched online about Yellville is an ongoing horror story. In the next few days I will be driving to Yellville to see about a nursing position and to inspect my empty cabin. I do not have the money to replace the items stolen. Most of which I need to survive the winter. I am between a rock and a hard spot. I need to move and yet I feel as though I dont have anywhere to go.