Middle class pays higher tax in Texas than California (middle-class, high income)

[earthisle]

Originally Posted by expatCA

A good thing too as in CA just about every other tax is high. Plus Mello Roos.

I may not have explained the ITEP study clearly. It's showing total taxes paid, not just one type of tax. A household in the middle income quintile is paying a higher fraction of income to taxes in Texas than California. This is a lot simpler than some posters are thinking...

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by earthisle

I may not have explained the ITEP study clearly. It's showing total taxes paid, not just one type of tax. A household in the middle income quintile is paying a higher fraction of income to taxes in Texas than California. This is a lot simpler than some posters are thinking...

Ahh, that may be, but the lower overall COL there make a difference. Though with all the people from CA moving there the prices are going up.

[Mr5150]

I am thankful that I don’t care about taxes as much as quality of life. It is a freeing state of mind as I can live where ever I want.

I know that taxes are lower in AZ and NV. My BIL lives in AZ, dtr in NV. I am aghast by the lack of services and the low pay scales offered by those two states.

[earthisle]

Originally Posted by expatCA

Ahh, that may be, but the lower overall COL there make a difference. Though with all the people from CA moving there the prices are going up.

Well that's somewhat off the topic of taxes though. If we start looking at all factors, you also have to look at the higher salaries in California. For example my exact same position in California is paid 50% more!

But taxes is an important thing to focus on, because you often see people express the belief that California is more expensive because of Taxes, but that's not true except for the very rich, and only because Texas and some other states tax them very little

[Finper]

Originally Posted by Mr5150

I am thankful that I don’t care about taxes as much as quality of life. It is a freeing state of mind as I can live where ever I want.

I know that taxes are lower in AZ and NV. My BIL lives in AZ, dtr in NV. I am aghast by the lack of services and the low pay scales offered by those two states.

Exactly what services does Ca have that Az and Nv don't have? Those states have smooth roads, pristine clean fwys, ample police and fire. Schools are about the same. Nv has Hoover dam which is still in great shape. I can't think of one thing Ca has that those states don't. Oh yea maybe someday we'll have a high speed rail between tomato fields

[AllenSJC]

Do we really need more California vs. Texas threads?

[payutenyodagimas]

Originally Posted by AllenSJC

Do we really need more California vs. Texas threads?

i dont know why they dont compare CA with WA? they both have a thriving tech industry, both are leftist, atrocious cost of living, homeless problem but the latter doesnt have income tax and yet they seem fine?

[earthisle]

Originally Posted by payutenyodagimas

i dont know why they dont compare CA with WA? they both have a thriving tech industry but the latter doesnt have income tax and yet they seem fine?

I don't know anything about Washington except it's full of hippies. I live in Texas and work for the state of Texas, so I'm interested in how California is run because it's the closest in size, population, and physical size. No other state is as comparable to Texas as California is, and vice versa

Also, Texans generally believe Texas is better than California, and our politicians use California as a foil

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by payutenyodagimas

i dont know why they dont compare CA with WA? they both have a thriving tech industry, both are leftist, atrocious cost of living, homeless problem but the latter doesnt have income tax and yet they seem fine?

Heh. The two finest states of being in the US.

Now selling only to the highest bidders

[aslowdodge]

As far as taxes, I’m not in Texas, but I was running some spreadsheets and was quite surprised to find the state income tax of Georgia and California for me was very close.
Sales tax can be different. I pay 6% here and in California it was 9.5%. But here in Georgia the sales tax the next county over is 8.75, not too far off from California.
I find the property tax rate is lower than California by a very tiny amount. The difference comes in when you see a million dollar house in the Bay Area costs about 250k in the Atlanta area.