I'm going to get flamed for this, so I'm donning my flame
retardant suit
I lived in Albany, NY. My property taxes were $4500 and got
upped to $6500 last year. I now live in CA and will pay
about $4000-$5000 in taxes. CA's better right? Wrong.
I feel that CA home owners get ripped off much more than NY.
The reason is that in CA your taxes get your knowing nada.
Everything cost money. Here are a few examples.
When I lived in Albany. Each week there would be a free
concert in the Rockerfeller Plaza, Plays in Parks, Ice
skating rinks, state museum was free to enter etc.
In CA none of this is free even though they are state
run! I went down to do some ice-skating. Guy asks
for $6 for 2 hours! Also, there are no free or otherwise
concerts in Sacramento.
Now maybe its just Albany, but you got
a hell of a lot for your taxes. Here in CA you get nothing.
I mean nothing. Even the schools you have to indirectly pay for.
Elementary school times here are 8am-2pm. Now getting there
exactly at 2pm is tough, but the teachers will not look after the
kids a minute after 2:05pm. Instead, you can buy an after
schools program for $400 per month that will baby sit them
uptil 3:00pm. Who does the babysitting? The school and its an
indirect tax.
Having said all that 10K is a bit too much, but I'd rather
pay my $6500 and not be nickel and dimed on everything
else or not have the services to begin with.