Prop. 13 on the way out??? (Oakland, Industry: home equity loan, new, transfer)

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

This seems to be a very popular concept with men, because they're cheap and just won't buy stuff. I'm sure if they had their way sales taxes would be high on clothing, fashion accessories and sitdown meals in restaurants but pickup trucks, video games, delivered pizza, and beer would be exempt.

Nobody's answered my question as to why your local elected officials can't just lower the tax rates when the assessed values increase beyond growth in needed revenue.

WHaaaatttttt? And in most of those cases it is the "cheap" husband you speak of shelling out the cash for their high maintenance woman to spend Either way the husband would be getting taxed. The only way a man wouldn't be would be a never married, single woman paying strictly her own taxes.

I know of no man not working (minus UE) but I know a LOT of woman who don't because their Husbands support them.

Bizarre.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by tetka_grunya

The property tax rate in SFBA is 1.2% and property value is going up 2% every year. So taxes actually going up even for owners who was living in houses for decades...

If you live in Oakland the actual rate is much higher... more like 1.4% to 1.6%

Just paid the tax bill on a 100,000 value/assessed home in east Oakland... tax bill is $2400 making it 2.4%

Similar homes are for sale now between 85 and 120k...

Friends just bought in Castro Valley and it is closer to 1.1% really depends on what the voters have approved.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Nobody's answered my question as to why your local elected officials can't just lower the tax rates when the assessed values increase beyond growth in needed revenue.

The answer is in the words "needed revenue". They NEVER have enough as they will always find a way to spend, spend, spend, helping political supporters, family, friends and the "poor" who vote for them. For those in power now, and it looks like for the foreseeable future, they NEVER want to lower taxes.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by tetka_grunya

The property tax rate in SFBA is 1.2% and property value is going up 2% every year. So taxes actually going up even for owners who was living in houses for decades...

I assume you mean the assessed, not the market value. I'm pretty sure the latter's increased more than 2% per annum in recent years.

Originally Posted by expatCA

The answer is in the words "needed revenue". They NEVER have enough as they will always find a way to spend, spend, spend, helping political supporters, family, friends and the "poor" who vote for them. For those in power now, and it looks like for the foreseeable future, they NEVER want to lower taxes.

So why is that seemingly unique to CA? Most other states don't have prop. 13 and are able to handle their property taxes responsibly. My guess is you have a perception that the government is trying to gouge you because they have to come up with creative ways to raise revenue in the face of prop. 13 and supermajorities that prevent them from drawing from two major sources. If you were smart you'd bundle a repeal of prop. 13 with a reduction in sales taxes and car registration fees.

[Ultrarunner]

I'm not well versed on how other States do things...

Reports indicate many other States are having financial troubles.

I did read a comparison on property taxes and it varies from State to State.

In some States, only property owners of record can vote on certain taxes that affect Property Owners.

Earlier, it was mentioned that Conservative want local control...

Part of Prop 13 was in response to the Serrano Decision which forever changed local public school funding by taking local school tax dollars out of the community and sending them to Sacramento to allocate.

Enough people objected to this combined with the obscene double digit rate of tax increases and corruption in the system to act and this is why a groundswell of voters made Prop 13 law against the wishes of nearly all the politicians.

Only have to go back a few years to the recall of Governor Wilson for raising the car tags for proof voters are more than willing to go against the wishes of politicians... even at the top.

[Leonard64]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

If you were smart you'd bundle a repeal of prop. 13 with a reduction in sales taxes and car registration fees.

Never happen and would still hurt retired people who have paid off a house and are living in CA on far less than needed at today's tax rate/valuations.

Prop 13 hasn't hurt, over spending has. You reference other States, and I am in TN and my Prop Taxes are lower than CA AND no income tax, yet we do just fine. Oh, we have lower car fees to and out Sales Tax is just a bit higher AND we get to choose when to pay it, by choosing how much to spend. That is a nice benefit.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by Leonard64

Never happen and would still hurt retired people who have paid off a house and are living in CA on far less than needed at today's tax rate/valuations.

Prop 13 hasn't hurt, over spending has. You reference other States, and I am in TN and my Prop Taxes are lower than CA AND no income tax, yet we do just fine. Oh, we have lower car fees to and out Sales Tax is just a bit higher AND we get to choose when to pay it, by choosing how much to spend. That is a nice benefit.

You bring up an excellent point...

Many other States, even neighboring States, do not have all the taxes California extracts... yet, the consensus is Californians need to pay more...

California is blessed with abundant natural resources, oil, farm land, climate, gateway ports, etc...

Yet, we are to believe property owners just are not paying enough

In my own small circle of friends and co-workers it has become a second job to educate and stop the Prop 13 mis-information.

So often I will here from a new homeowner that they don't have Prop 13?

I have to tell them that every assessed property in California has Prop 13.

How can people not know this???

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

So often I will here from a new homeowner that they don't have Prop 13?

I have to tell them that every assessed property in California has Prop 13.

How can people not know this???

Because to most people under 40, "Prop 13" is something that benefits their parents or grandparents who bought in the the 1970s or earlier and pay $1000/yr in tax instead of $6000/yr. I think people today tend not to stay in one place as long so they aren't seeing the tax savings. Its much harder now to get a good job out of high school or college, buy a house big enough to raise a family, and stay there into retirement.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Because to most people under 40, "Prop 13" is something that benefits their parents or grandparents who bought in the the 1970s or earlier and pay $1000/yr in tax instead of $6000/yr. I think people today tend not to stay in one place as long so they aren't seeing the tax savings. Its much harder now to get a good job out of high school or college, buy a house big enough to raise a family, and stay there into retirement.

You make a good point.

Prop 13 became law in 1978.

The 70's were hard times for many... energy crisis, gas lines, mortgage rates of 15% or higher, stagflation etc.

Every generation believes rightly or wrongly thier situation to be unique.

What I've seen a lot of it the kids that complain wouldn't even consider a home or neighborhood similar to their parents.

Many of the WWII generation were happy to just have a place to call their own... no matter how small or if it only had one bathroom.

The reason I say this is because a lot of these people are dieing off and there homes are being sold... none of the kids have the slightest interest in living in Mom and Dad's home...

I live and grew up in East Oakland... it would be fair to say that very few of us stayed here...

My brothers are brokers in neaby communities... the residential broker gets calls all the time from former classmates wanting to sell the old family home.

My step grandfather told my grandmother that he didn't have the heart to tell me what a mistake I had made... buying my first home that was set for condemnation...

It was a dump on a postage size lot with a 1911 700 square foot cottage... but, it was all mine

While my friends were whining endlessly that they could never buy a home, interest rates were too high or they needed the family to help them... I bought what I could afford and still own that home today.

I never had a good job till after I bought my home... I was always working part time jobs... after school and weekends and saved just about every nickle after paying room and board to my parents starting at age 12 with my first summer job at $50 a week... mom got $20, $20 to the bank, $4 and some change in with holding and $5 was all mine

Just imagine how the same people would feel if California had a tax rate like Texas?

[1AngryTaxPayer]

There are other States with a property tax cap that appear to be doing ok.