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Old 01-02-2015, 02:03 PM
 
4,059 posts, read 5,601,995 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Squidlo View Post
I think there are plenty of examples out there on how to administer a sales tax. I flinched when the bureaucracy needed to manage the taxation was mentioned.
Sure, but my point wasn't that it can't be done, only that the rate isn't pure 'profit' for the state - there is a cost to operate a tax system, both for the state/munis themselves, not to mention for businesses on the compliance end.
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Old 01-03-2015, 05:25 AM
 
198 posts, read 342,904 times
Reputation: 234
Quote:
Originally Posted by Squidlo View Post
While oil is one aspect of the Texas economy. It isn't the only thing going on. What I find refreshing is the way taxes are collected. Sales tax is a straight up consumptive tax. Everyone pays it. Buy less stuff pay less tax. Property taxes are high but our schools (here in the burbs) are better than what I was paying for in Portland. Taxes paid per square foot are 1/2 of what I paid in Portland (apples to apples). If Texas is all oil we are about to be in trouble. I think it will just slow the economy down some in the state.

I don't hear anyone complaining about cheap fuel.

Use fees are the most honest ways to collect tax in general. I hear people howling about sales taxes affecting the "poor". Even Texas has tax free holidays for energy efficient appliances, and back to school stuff (very wide category)

Whole unprepared foods are un-taxed.

A sales tax collects money from everyone fairly. Don't wanna pay tax? There is always craigslist. The guy you buy from will pay tax when he spends your money.

A progressive (remember that word) income tax looks like it punishes achievement. If you went to college and worked hard to get ready for the world you get to pay more tax. You get less of what you worked hard to get. Your family gets less.

No system is perfect, Fair means across the board, not only for some. Can we meet somewhere between Ayn Rand and Karl Marx?

Do you live in Texas now or Oregon? And if you live in Texas, how long have you been here?

I've lived in Texas for 20 years and am moving to Oregon this summer. I've studied the tax structure. Even with the income tax, I will do better in Oregon. Lower property tax, no sales tax, lower fees for things like car registration and licensure, lower auto insurance (if you live in Texas, tell me THAT didn't increase massively for you!), lower energy costs.

You pay to play, it really is as simple as that. Money has to come from somewhere and some systems are more straight-forward and simpler than others.

Property taxes in Texas can be a problem. Where I used to live, everyone had their hand out and added assessments onto the bill. I paid to the port authority, the county, city, school district, the economic development council, and the local junior college. Yay. School tax rates can go up every year in Central and South Texas because of immigration, mostly. They were building new schools every single year in my city.

After Texas deregulated electricity, companies could do and charge what they wanted -- and they basically do. All sorts of fly-by-night outfits came in, too. I volunteered at the outreach center at my church that helped the poor with food and utility bills and it blew my mind what sort of schemes the poor were having to sign up for just to have electric service because they couldn't afford the $300 deposit fee utility companies were now demanding. The "Power to Choose" is a feeding frenzy.

Texas' sales tax is 8.25 percent on everything except most food and prescriptions. Some states exempt clothing and shoes, which are necessities. Not Texas. Even Goodwill and other thrift shops have to charge tax so how is it fair or compassionate to say, well, if you don't want to or can't pay the tax, then don't buy things? People need clothing and shoes, especially families with children. If you're poor, that 8.25 percent hurts.

With gas prices plummeting and the drought crushing ranching and agriculture, Texas' economy is going to slow. Competition for tech jobs is fierce in the cities because so many people have moved here. My son had dozens of interviews for entry-level tech jobs in Austin and Dallas after getting out of college and he progressed to the final stage, only to be told they went with candidates who had Master's degrees. He finally did get a technical job and he likes it but, get this, it pays minimum wage. Federal minimum wage. That's how Texas rolls. All of those jobs Rick Perry brags about creating? A large percentage pay minimum wage.

I just hope I can sell my house before the market slows way down.
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Old 01-03-2015, 09:55 PM
 
Location: Houston
1,257 posts, read 2,646,826 times
Reputation: 1236
Been in Texas since 2006. I return to Oregon to visit with friends and family when I can, usually a couple times a year. For me the trade offs are still better in Texas than Oregon. The grass will hopefully be greener in Oregon for you. The economy in Oregon has been anemic off and on for years. I put in 25 years working in Portland. In my field there is opportunity here. I have a somewhat unique experience and skill set that makes me valuable in my industry. I am sorry your son is struggling. IT is saturated in Oregon as well. The good part is that techies are everywhere in Oregon, friends are easy to find.

Id rather pay a sales tax on a shirt from goodwill than let the state take a bite out of my check before I spend a dime.

Dress shirt goodwill 7$. Tax=58 cents.

(Yes, I have been in a goodwill store.)

Some of the money I spend is not taxed at the sales tax rate. The money I don't spend is not taxed until I spend it on a taxable item.

I get a choice.

I helped someone buy a 20k used car today. They paid a healthy amount of sales tax. It was a choice, no one was confused by the transaction.

I bought new appliances for my kitchen during the sales tax holiday for energy efficient appliances. No tax! Thank you Texas for supporting "greener appliances".

I stated previously my property tax costs are lower per square foot of home/lot compared to what I owned in Portland. Huge upgrade in neighborhood as a bonus. My electricity costs are about 100$ a month more. Crazy right? Well I have a large home with 6 tons of central air. Score one for Oregon. Wait, I had no central air in Oregon and paid 150 a month in a 1800 sq ft house. My water and garbage are actually lower and I have better service. Trash pick up 2x a week with 2 obscenely large cans.

Get ready for some sticker shock on Oregon homes. Property taxes are based on market value.

I bought a very nice home here for almost 100k less than the home I sold in Oregon. No comparison at all, the place in Oregon was a dump compared to my current home.

May the grass be greener in Oregon for you than it seemed for me.
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