What's with the Insane Property taxes? (Monaca, Republic: to live in, budget, car)

[Condorll]

There are schools everywhere in the country.
That doesn't explain why your taxes are so darn high.

Fed Income Tax
State Tax
Local Wage Tax
Sales Tax
and Insane Property Taxes

Maybe you have too many schools or you are spending too much money on them.

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by scrapp

Personally, I find the idea of daily commuting from outside Allegheny County into either Oakland or Downtown unacceptable. Even if you discount the price of gas, you still have to deal with the region's poor transportation infrastructure. Yuck.

That's a very valid point. I think anywhere in the United States, it just makes sense to live close to where you work -- *if* impossible. In Pittsburgh, the infrastructure because of the hills and rivers does make it difficult to get around. Not to mention, since it's not a newer city, it's working with what is already here. Kinda hard to build new highways over established neighborhoods...
I have to admit, the zoo is a place I'd go back to every year, but the drive there was painful coming from the south hills.

[fleetiebelle]

Did you go 28 to the Highland Park Bridge, or did you come up through East Liberty/Larimer?

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

Did you go 28 to the Highland Park Bridge, or did you come up through East Liberty/Larimer?

I'm pretty sure 28... and we ran into construction somewhere. But I honestly do not know the area well enough to say for sure. Especially because I was not driving. Had I been driving, I would remember.

[lifepgh2op]

Originally Posted by Condorll

There are schools everywhere in the country.
That doesn't explain why your taxes are so darn high.

Maybe you have too many schools or you are spending too much money on them.

You sorta hit the nail-on-the-head with the last statement. Here's a story from a couple weeks ago about why property taxes are so high and what the schools have to do with it...hope that explains some.

Local Economy And Your Money, Part 3: Why Property Taxes Are So High - Money News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by londonbarcelona

That's a very valid point. I think anywhere in the United States, it just makes sense to live close to where you work -- *if* impossible. In Pittsburgh, the infrastructure because of the hills and rivers does make it difficult to get around. Not to mention, since it's not a newer city, it's working with what is already here. Kinda hard to build new highways over established neighborhoods...
I have to admit, the zoo is a place I'd go back to every year, but the drive there was painful coming from the south hills.

But at the same time it's somewhat nonsensical to think that if I worked at Pitt and I bought a house in Oakland, and then if I took a job at Penn State Beaver, I should sell my Oakland home and buy one in Monaca...

People change jobs and DON'T move and people buy homes and don't change jobs... putting the two together seems logical, and yet it rarely works that way.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Condorll

There are schools everywhere in the country.
That doesn't explain why your taxes are so darn high.

Fed Income Tax
State Tax
Local Wage Tax
Sales Tax
and Insane Property Taxes

Maybe you have too many schools or you are spending too much money on them.

If you figure out the total average tax burden, local and state in all forms, as a percentage of average income, it actually isn't particularly high in Pittsburgh as compared to other medium-large urban areas.

However, as others have pointed out the distribution of the tax burden is relatively flat, which I would agree is not good (I favor more progressive taxation).

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

But at the same time it's somewhat nonsensical to think that if I worked at Pitt and I bought a house in Oakland, and then if I took a job at Penn State Beaver, I should sell my Oakland home and buy one in Monaca...

People change jobs and DON'T move and people buy homes and don't change jobs... putting the two together seems logical, and yet it rarely works that way.

Oh right, I agree. I was talking mainly about buying your first house. Or if you are a newcomer to the area and looking for a place to buy or rent. I should have explained myself better. Darn computer chit-chats, I forget to go into more detail.

[scrapp]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

But at the same time it's somewhat nonsensical to think that if I worked at Pitt and I bought a house in Oakland, and then if I took a job at Penn State Beaver, I should sell my Oakland home and buy one in Monaca...

People change jobs and DON'T move and people buy homes and don't change jobs... putting the two together seems logical, and yet it rarely works that way.

I don't think it would be nonsensical to consider moving when you are faced with a daily 75 mile (round trip) commute on our highway system, especially if you see it being a long term issue that significantly reduces your quality of life.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by scrapp

I don't think it would be nonsensical to consider moving when you are faced with a daily 75 mile (round trip) commute on our highway system, especially if you see it being a long term issue that significantly reduces your quality of life.

Not to be hyper critical -- but it's only 50 miles. And it wasn't too bad of a commute -- I used to live in Monaca and work in the Strip... but I have to admit -- I was going in way off hours.

And I couldn't think of two colleges that weren't close together in Pittsburgh.

And London -- I just hear and see that explanation all the time from the anti-suburban elite (by the way guys -- JUST JOKING) and it's one that doesn't ring true. When you live in a neighborhood you form ties to that neighborhood, friends, neighbors, shopping -- more so when you buy a home -- you might get involved in the local politics and your kids agre going to school there.... and you don't want to give that up to move closer to work because you get a new job.

And people job hop nowadays.