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Property taxes are there to provide services by a local government. So if you have a place without property taxes, then you have a place without any government, and thus no schools, no fire stations, no police, no nuthin'. Is this a place you'd like to live?
Property taxes are there to provide services by a local government. So if you have a place without property taxes, then you have a place without any government, and thus no schools, no fire stations, no police, no nuthin'. Is this a place you'd like to live?
Since this thread is on the first page of the google search "cities with no property taxes" I thought I'd correct this misinformation.
I was curious of this myself, and I figured I'd spend about 10 minutes researching online about it and there actually is a place with no property taxes.
Stafford, Texas one such place with no property taxes, and it even says so in their official city website. Stafford is located in the Greater Houston metropolitan area, and does not have a municipal property tax as of 1995 and the sales tax is 0.5% less than all of the surrounding cities. Not only do they have all the services Zarathu mentioned they wouldn't have, but they also just built a new fire house and police station. The city has actually been one of the fastest growing cities despite the recession due to its fiscal policy as well as its proximity to Houston.
So many of you were so adamant at how impossible a city like this could exist in the U.S. and spent your time shutting the original poster down instead of actually finding an answer... It took me no more than 10 minutes to look this up, and I'm certainly not an expert in the field. I'm sure that, with a little more digging, one could probably find other places that fit the bill.
Since this thread is on the first page of the google search "cities with no property taxes" I thought I'd correct this misinformation.
I was curious of this myself, and I figured I'd spend about 10 minutes researching online about it and there actually is a place with no property taxes.
Stafford, Texas one such place with no property taxes, and it even says so in their official city website. Stafford is located in the Greater Houston metropolitan area, and does not have a municipal property tax as of 1995 and the sales tax is 0.5% less than all of the surrounding cities. Not only do they have all the services Zarathu mentioned they wouldn't have, but they also just built a new fire house and police station. The city has actually been one of the fastest growing cities despite the recession due to its fiscal policy as well as its proximity to Houston.
So many of you were so adamant at how impossible a city like this could exist in the U.S. and spent your time shutting the original poster down instead of actually finding an answer... It took me no more than 10 minutes to look this up, and I'm certainly not an expert in the field. I'm sure that, with a little more digging, one could probably find other places that fit the bill.
Very interesting. Did your reading about Stafford, Texas inform you as to how the city makes up for the revenue that it doesn't collect in property taxes? Are you certain that people who live in Stafford don't pay a property tax which is levied by the county in which they live, and from which the City of Stafford receives a pro-rata share? That is the system in California, i.e., that counties bill for the property taxes and that cities (within strict limits) can add their own levy to that of the county, but it's still collected by the county. If this happens to be the case in Stafford, what may be unusual is that Stafford does not add its own levy and accepts only whatever pro rata share it gets from the county anyway.
I am not saying my interpretation is correct; I'm just curious.
This is especially important to seniors whose homes are paid for but have contracting or fixed incomes, or unforseen health care costs. Miss that $100/week avg property tax for a few quarters and there will be a taking, lien, eventual foreclosure, and eviction.
Many conservatives believe everyone should pay their fair share of taxes, and there should be no tax breaks for those with low/contracting/fixed incomes.
There was a thread here recently about this when a governor vetoed a low-income property tax break and conservatives here cheered.
Very interesting. Did your reading about Stafford, Texas inform you as to how the city makes up for the revenue that it doesn't collect in property taxes? Are you certain that people who live in Stafford don't pay a property tax which is levied by the county in which they live, and from which the City of Stafford receives a pro-rata share? I am not saying my interpretation is correct; I'm just curious.
Property tax bills are issued to all homeowners in Stafford , Texas. The bills include line items for schools and county taxes. This city spans two different counties so rates vary.
The city funds it's own ( non school) budget with sales, taxes. franchise taxes. employment taxes and user fees.
Stafford recently approved a $50MM bon for schools and the taxpayers will service that debt via their property taxes.
I strongly suspect school and municipal employees do not get a fraction of the pension benefits that occur in states such as my own.
Last edited by middle-aged mom; 09-25-2011 at 07:57 PM..
Since this thread is on the first page of the google search "cities with no property taxes" I thought I'd correct this misinformation.
I was curious of this myself, and I figured I'd spend about 10 minutes researching online about it and there actually is a place with no property taxes.
Stafford, Texas one such place with no property taxes, and it even says so in their official city website. Stafford is located in the Greater Houston metropolitan area, and does not have a municipal property tax as of 1995 and the sales tax is 0.5% less than all of the surrounding cities. Not only do they have all the services Zarathu mentioned they wouldn't have, but they also just built a new fire house and police station. The city has actually been one of the fastest growing cities despite the recession due to its fiscal policy as well as its proximity to Houston.
So many of you were so adamant at how impossible a city like this could exist in the U.S. and spent your time shutting the original poster down instead of actually finding an answer... It took me no more than 10 minutes to look this up, and I'm certainly not an expert in the field. I'm sure that, with a little more digging, one could probably find other places that fit the bill.
It took me no more than 2 min to look this up. Here's a property for sale in Stafford, and the tax rates from 2010.
The CITY doesn't have any property taxes. Citizens must still pay for county property taxes, among others. This thread is about zero property taxes of all types.
When the City eliminated its property tax in 1995, for residents and businesses alike, The Wall Street Journal described Stafford as “a Shangri-La for property owners”. Since that time, the City has seen its cash fund balances increase more than tenfold.
The City operates on revenue received from sales taxes, franchise taxes and user fees that are in line with or lower than those in neighboring communities. The Freeport tax exemption, initiated by the City and offered by the school and utility district as well, complements the City’s zero property tax rate and has attracted many diverse companies to the City.
5 pages in this thread and no one can provide a place where there is no property taxes of any kind.
There's your answer. It doesn't exist. Everyone pays taxes. Live with it.
-CLOSE THREAD-
Quote:
Originally Posted by arctichomesteader
The Unorganized Borough in Alaska, outside any incorporated cities, has no property taxes. Some organized boroughs have no taxes either but that can more easily change. This is over half the state, having no taxes.
Most such places are very remote, though my proeprty there is road accessible, sorta (will take a mile long driveway, but still, there are accessible places there with no taxes). With the lack of taxes you must understand you're on your own and/or the neighbors for help. Police could be days away in some cases (given weather conditions), many places have no fire department (though neighbors will frequently help each other in the real remote places), and most places have little for shopping. The closest store to my property amounts to little more than a gas station (though it includes the post office too). For most shopping, people there drive to Fairbanks (roughly 4 hours or so away on a gravel highway), and tend to buy enough to only need to make the trip infrequently.
Just so you're aware of what might be trade offs to some people for living there.
Alaska is the only state in the United States where a large part of the land mass is not subject to a property tax. Although property tax is the primary method of raising revenues for most of the larger municipalities in the state, smaller municipalities favor a sales tax. This is due primarily to the fact that the smaller incorporated areas lack a tax base large enough to support the property tax. The unincorporated areas of the state do not have the legal authority to levy a tax.
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