City elders pls take note: 3%wage/school tax? $24.72/$1k prop tax? (Pittsburgh: school district, income)

[charles1169]

Originally Posted by GeneW

I'm not sure what to tell you. The city has bills to pay and taxes are how they get paid. You don't get anything for free.

Yes but I don't HAVE to live somewhere that taxes me for living in a certain city. I have choices. I was sad that I wasn't going to be able to choose to live in Pittsburgh.

[selltheburgh]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Most of the tax burden is the school's wildly high salaries and the pension problems that are only going to get worse and worse. As the pension problems keep getting worse, most all districts will in turn offer less and less to the students. The promises made to the teacher's unions are going to bite us for a very long time. In less than 10 years our educational system will really be substandard, but on the bright side the retired school teachers will be living amazingly well and they only worked 180 days a year! Good for them, but very bad for all of us and our children. Big mistakes were made. School taxes are really the only one that kills me year after year. Even though the county taxes skyrocketed, it still isn't that horrible.

My friend is a teacher of 7 years and doesn't make 50k including extra pay for running 2 after school clubs/programs. Can't agree he's over paid.

[charles1169]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

As for the morality of income taxes, not accepting those will instantly write off *a lot* of the country for you (probably a large majority of the country, really).

I was only referring to the wage tax - I accept all the other myriad of taxes we all must pay but this is one I can choose to avoid and the one where I draw the line as to what I am willing to pay.

[BrianTH]

We can explain why some people find it a good deal financially to live in the City notwithstanding the tax rates, but if you are morally opposed to paying local income taxes, then that is that.

They certainly aren't going away any time soon--the relatively high wage tax is being used to lower property taxes, and any politician who advocated shifting those revenues back to property taxes would likely be committing career suicide.

[ferrarisnowday]

Originally Posted by Walkerstudios

I was only referring to the wage tax - I accept all the other myriad of taxes we all must pay but this is one I can choose to avoid and the one where I draw the line as to what I am willing to pay.

That's fine, just realize that you're limiting yourself to just 9 states that don't have an income tax (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Washington, and Wyoming). Source

[charles1169]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

That's fine, just realize that you're limiting yourself to just 9 states that don't have an income tax (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Washington, and Wyoming). Source

I never said I drew the line at income tax at the state level but I do draw the line at a city based income tax.

[charles1169]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

We can explain why some people find it a good deal financially to live in the City notwithstanding the tax rates, but if you are morally opposed to paying local income taxes, then that is that.

They certainly aren't going away any time soon--the relatively high wage tax is being used to lower property taxes, and any politician who advocated shifting those revenues back to property taxes would likely be committing career suicide.

What difference does it make - if you are out $5k because of a wage tax or prop tax or a combination you are still out $5k? I guess for retirees it does make a difference but I still need to make money.

[Gnutella]

Originally Posted by Walkerstudios

I was only referring to the wage tax - I accept all the other myriad of taxes we all must pay but this is one I can choose to avoid and the one where I draw the line as to what I am willing to pay.

Then stop bitching at us and choose another place to live. Problem solved.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Walkerstudios

What difference does it make - if you are out $5k because of a wage tax or prop tax or a combination you are still out $5k?

Isn't that a question you should be asking yourself?

Anyway, you are right that politically, it is a matter of how the tax burden ends up getting distributed. In addition to retirees and other individuals with homes but little or no wages, there are also real estate investors, corporations, and such which own property in the City but aren't subject to the City's wage tax. That is a rather potent political coalition.

[charles1169]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Isn't that a question you should be asking yourself?

Anyway, you are right that politically, it is a matter of how the tax burden ends up getting distributed. In addition to retirees and other individuals with homes but little or no wages, there are also real estate investors, corporations, and such which own property in the City but aren't subject to the City's wage tax. That is a rather potent political coalition.

True, true,
This is the first time I have run into a wage tax that I need to factor into the numbers regarding a relocation and it has obviously thrown me as I was really interested in your city.