Seattle Native-How Can I Live Here Anymore? (Bellevue, Sammamish: middle-class, real estate)

[CrazyDonkey]

Downsize: Sell the house and buy a condo. Or, keep the house, but rent it out, then use the income to buy a condo to live in.

Watch out for the new "levy-swap" property tax to fund K-12 schools that Republicans stood firm on - your property taxes will go up .81-.82 per $1,000 of assessed value. Because it is a flat rate across the state, high COL blue-counties, such as King, get a hefty tax raise, while many low-COL red-counties get a tax cut. So, if your house is worth $600k and the same house in Wapato, say, is worth $300k, you'll be paying twice as much, even if the other guy, with the $300k house, makes twice the income you do.

The Democrats basically caved, because they didn't want to shut the state gov't down. Also, if they win the special election for Andy King's seat, they'll flip the state senate and can undo it.

[Rombus]

The reality is that they don't care about people like you.

Between ST3 and the new state budget over $700 a year is added to my property tax bill. And my home is below average in value! Add in the 10% sales tax Now I see they want money for Public Art. All good causes individualy, but together they are breaking the back of the lower income middle class people. And they don't care.

Where does it end?

I would advocate for a state income tax so as to have a more balanced and fair tax system, but I fear that such a tax will end up be in addition to all the taxes I currently pay.

Soon there will be two kinds of people living in this area - the very high income folks, and the people on some sort of welfare. Good luck finding somebody to make your morning latte for you. People working in lower paying jobs will be in Eastern WA, Idaho and other places. Go East!

[cmswazey]

If we had a state income tax, it could end up like NY where they have a very high sales tax, the Thruway and state income tax. In NYC they have a city income tax as well. Once the government has a high tax of any sort, they keep it and then any additional new taxes end up being just that: additional.

[CrazyDonkey]

They could propose a state constitutional amendment that would enable a state income tax, but cap it at a set percentage, limit its application to upper income earners, and require an equivalent reduction (a revenue swap) in the state sales tax, which should help alleviate "slippery slope" concerns. The notion would be that institution of an income tax should be to increase progressivity, not revenues.

[Hacker1234]

That would be bad, one of the reasons we moved here was because of no income tax. I love the tax system here.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Hacker1234

That would be bad, one of the reasons we moved here was because of no income tax. I love the tax system here.

Wouldn't effect you, unless you're an upper income earner. If you are, why shouldn't you be paying more? The middle class (property taxes) and working class (sales taxes) are being over-taxed because the rich and large corporations have been able to use their economic clout (through "trickle-down" propaganda and political graft) to weasel out of paying their fair share.

[Hacker1234]

What kind of income would be considered upper.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Wouldn't effect you, unless you're an upper income earner. If you are, why shouldn't you be paying more? The middle class (property taxes) and working class (sales taxes) are being over-taxed because the rich and large corporations have been able to use their economic clout (through "trickle-down" propaganda and political graft) to weasel out of paying their fair share.

Slippery slope. The income tax may start out to only tax the rich, but that gets a foot in the door, and soon the income tax hits more and more residents. The deals our politicians have made to help keep large corporations here were meant to keep the good jobs here. Unfortunately it has backfired some, since the higher & higher cost of living and worsening traffic congestion has caused some jobs to be moved to other states. I don't know that there is a solution that makes everyone happy.

[pete98146]

Feel sorry for folks over the age of 50 that have always been able to rent an affordable home in metro Seattle. Boy are those days gone!

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Slippery slope. The income tax may start out to only tax the rich, but that gets a foot in the door, and soon the income tax hits more and more residents. The deals our politicians have made to help keep large corporations here were meant to keep the good jobs here. Unfortunately it has backfired some, since the higher & higher cost of living and worsening traffic congestion has caused some jobs to be moved to other states. I don't know that there is a solution that makes everyone happy.

Not if in the state constitution it is capped at a fixed percentage (5%?), limited and indexed only to upper income earners (top 25%?), and requires that any increase be matched with an equivalent reduction in the state sales tax (a revenue swap). That would not establish an income tax, but would simply set caps, limits, and requirements if the legislature would need to meet if choosing to enact an income tax.