Good Goobie, you've got 9% Sales Taxes Here!!! (Simi Valley, Bell: middle-class, buying)

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by munchitup

So is it because of the size of the vehicle you have to pay so much?

No. Its well under 6000 lb and not a commercial vehicle. It goes by cost.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

It's especially poignant to go to a state with no sales tax then return to CA.

Ouch!

[moonsparkle]

This may surprise people...Iowa has the highest state income tax for the average or below average earner.

http://www.tax-rates.org/iowa/income-tax

http://www.tax-rates.org/california/income-tax

Yes, a single person making ONLY 12K a year pays a higher state income tax (6.12%). You have to make over double that in California to be in that bracket (6.00% at 26k.)

Average property tax in Iowa for a $250,000 house is around $5,000. Per square foot, that might be above Orange County, the trade off being the houses are cheaper except not really cheap compared to most of the midwest.

Whenever I hear this "cost of living" stuff I simply can't take it seriously, basically everywhere costs a lot unless you're thinking about setting up shop in the wilderness. It's also forgotten that everyone pays federal taxes which is where they really get you.

The difference being, Iowans take pride in it (seen as civic duty like everything else), while in California it seems to be something people just put up with because of the weather & proximity to ocean.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Doesn't Iowa also have one of the best rated school systems in the country? At least they're getting something for their money. Large states like California should have lower taxes per capita due to economies of scale but yet they don't. It probably has to do with more distant governments being less accountable to the people.

[Escort Rider]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Most states are in the 6-8% range. Most states are high in one type of tax but low in others. California is high in all of them.

Except property taxes, which are the only saving grace tax-wise. Plus not all states exempt groceries from their sales tax, as does California.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Escort Rider

Except property taxes, which are the only saving grace tax-wise. Plus not all states exempt groceries from their sales tax, as does California.

Sure, CA's property tax rate looks low until you factor in the cost of the property.

[jm1982]

Yeah very good point. Lot's of waste and corruption too . Also L.A isn't very politically in many ways, so people aren't really on top of how bad they are getting screwed.

[OneLess]

I wish there was no sales tax on shoes and clothes like many states!!

[moonsparkle]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Doesn't Iowa also have one of the best rated school systems in the country? At least they're getting something for their money. Large states like California should have lower taxes per capita due to economies of scale but yet they don't. It probably has to do with more distant governments being less accountable to the people.

Depends where you are, some of the smaller towns are very poverty-stricken, others are not. Most of suburban Des Moines (where I grew up - does have "good schools", as misleading as that phrase is). The only reason being most of the kids are middle-to-upper-middle class. The "good schools" have a very small number of lower-income minorities (sometimes white as well) who bring down test scores, parents are in jail or smoking crack (if even know their birth father), or kids on free/reduced lunch. Basically, the good schools imply the community unit is something like a present-day Mayberry. A teacher in a lower-income district has the same qualifications/degree as one at a higher-income district. "Good schools" has become this code phrase implying at least baseline middle class students.

For instance. I'm sure Calabasas & Simi Valley have good schools too (generally, with some being better than others).

Des Moines itself has schools that really aren't too different than LAUSD schools in terms of graduation rate.

Iowa also has among the highest car registration fees, a car that costs you $1,700 will cost approx. $350 to register initially.

[Goober13]

Every state has its quirks.One thing is cheaper and another costs more. Our sales taxes in the Phoenix area range from 8.8 to 10.2%, with a 2% sales tax on food in several cities. Our utility bills are very high in the summer, and the water bills are so high that some people let their grass die and park on the front lawn.

Real estate costs are much cheaper, but wages are a lot less too. Our politics is corrupt and our state govt is full of Tea Partiers who want to cut everything.