Bad for government, great for Wyoming's productive citizens. (Laramie, Cody: sales, leases)

[Happy in Wyoming]

Sales tax revenues for July were down 28% in Cody. The city collected $91,282 less than they did in July, 2008. Jackson saw a 24% drop for the same month. Professional government workers are calling it a disaster. They know that this could be the end of government's being Wyoming's fastest growing entity. It will be necessary to cut government spending. If that happens, fewer people will look upon the government as savior. They might even begin to look to private industry as the best place to have a job. Government grants may not be seen as the best source of business capital. Businesses may be forced to look to the cold, cruel marketplace for capital. Private investors don't look for worthy causes; they look for rate of return.

The sales tax revenue drop may seem minor, but one pebble can start a rockslide. And there's no more pot of gold from energy taxes.

Government employees as well as parasitic private enterprises that can't raise marketplace capital will be clamoring for higher taxes.

But I don't believe that they will get their desire. Although a majority of the legislature have voted for obscene government expansion during the years of budget surpluses, they know that most people in Wyoming don't want government services. Rather, they want a business friendly climate where they can make a buck on their own. Voting for tax increases will be tantamount to signing their political death warrants.

It's time to cut back; and we can give them a good reason. Wyoming can go back to the days when people bought what they wished with their money. Tell your friends and neighbors. It's time to turn the clock back in Wyoming, back to the days of individualism and minimal government. Many states have gone too far to reverse their plight. But we can still do it here.

Here's a good start. Let's have an immediate 20% cut in salaries for all government workers. If they don't like it, let them get real jobs or leave. Let's see how government school teachers react to that. They constantly squeal about their dedication. Let's find out.

[Oil_Baron]

The rest of us work within our means, let's hold the Government to theirs.

[BennyPhoenix]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but dont school teachers get paid through property taxes?

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by BennyPhoenix

Correct me if I'm wrong, but dont school teachers get paid through property taxes?

Not entirely. Schools in most areas are paid by BLM and State leases. Or by energy taxes. Very little money comes from Property taxes.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

Not entirely. Schools in most areas are paid by BLM and State leases. Or by energy taxes. Very little money comes from Property taxes.

Could've fooled me, EH ...

Looking at my property tax bill, the largest mill levy's ... by a factor of three or more compared to everything else ... are the County School Fund at 6 mils, the School District at 27.91 mils, the State School Fund at 12 mils, and the Community College at 5 mils.

Schools tax stream from my property taxes total 50.91 mils.

My total property tax mil levy is 70.91 mils.

So 71% of my Property Taxes are for THE SCHOOLS! Not police, fire, library, weed and pest, county fair, or other services ....

Yes, the School districts derive income from "state school land leases", but if the leased section by me is any indication, at $800 per year lease is any indication, they're not getting a huge cash flow out of these properties which don't pay any property taxes as exempt state owned properties. They only get that $800 out of 640 acres, which is a small fraction of the school taxes that would be collected from that land if ... as is found in the area ... the section was subdivided up in to 40's with (even modest) housing and valued in the $100-200,000 range. At 40 such property tax paying properties, you've got a market valuation of as much as $8,000,000 ... which at the current percentage of taxable valuation and the mil levy for schools, would represent a rather larger income for the schools, local and statewide.

Looking at my tax bill for 2009, I pay one heck of a lot more than $800 on my farm/ranch for schools mil levy ... which isn't a section (I wish) ... and I'm assessed as a working ag property with an 1880 farmhouse and a few old barns and outbuildings. My improvements are worth a lot less than any of the houses that have recently sprung up on the subdivided 40's around the area, and they're assessed at "residential" rates which are much higher than my ag land and pastures.

You want to back up your comment that "very little" of the funds for schools comes from Property Taxes with some statistics, EH? From where I sit, it doesn't look like it .....

[Happy in Wyoming]

Government employees are paid with my tax money. It really doesn't matter whether it's property tax or sales tax or vehicle registration tax. It all goes into one big pot.

If we get the people angry enough about government parasites living fat while we live lean, we've won. Suppose there were a property tax strike. And suppose when the old folks came out to invest in unpaid property tax, they were met at the courthouse door by a mob of angry citizens.

There are still people coming to hotels. It would be fun to see some big shot school teacher or social worker cleaning the toilets.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by sunsprit

Could've fooled me, EH ...

Looking at my property tax bill, the largest mill levy's ... by a factor of three or more compared to everything else ... are the County School Fund at 6 mils, the School District at 27.91 mils, the State School Fund at 12 mils, and the Community College at 5 mils.

Schools tax stream from my property taxes total 50.91 mils.

My total property tax mil levy is 70.91 mils.

So 71% of my Property Taxes are for THE SCHOOLS! Not police, fire, library, weed and pest, county fair, or other services ....

Yes, the School districts derive income from "state school land leases", but if the leased section by me is any indication, at $800 per year lease is any indication, they're not getting a huge cash flow out of these properties which don't pay any property taxes as exempt state owned properties. They only get that $800 out of 640 acres, which is a small fraction of the school taxes that would be collected from that land if ... as is found in the area ... the section was subdivided up in to 40's with (even modest) housing and valued in the $100-200,000 range. At 40 such property tax paying properties, you've got a market valuation of as much as $8,000,000 ... which at the current percentage of taxable valuation and the mil levy for schools, would represent a rather larger income for the schools, local and statewide.

Looking at my tax bill for 2009, I pay one heck of a lot more than $800 on my farm/ranch for schools mil levy ... which isn't a section (I wish) ... and I'm assessed as a working ag property with an 1880 farmhouse and a few old barns and outbuildings. My improvements are worth a lot less than any of the houses that have recently sprung up on the subdivided 40's around the area, and they're assessed at "residential" rates which are much higher than my ag land and pastures.

You want to back up your comment that "very little" of the funds for schools comes from Property Taxes with some statistics, EH? From where I sit, it doesn't look like it .....

It depends county by county. The only thing on my property tax two years ago was a fund for school buses. That's it. Don't know what your county does.

[ymmud123]

I heartedly congratulate the people of Wyoming!!
It is about time that the people remember that initially it was, " Government of, for and by the people" not it has evolved into "Government of, for and by the Government"
I believe that we should go back to where the indivigual states take care of themselves and the Government is this little entity that is taken out when needed and then put back.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

It depends county by county. The only thing on my property tax two years ago was a fund for school buses. That's it. Don't know what your county does.

Hence the fallacy of declaring that the schools are funded principally by other than property taxes in "most areas" of Wyoming. T'ain't so. I know what Laramie county collects in property taxes for the schools, and have seen the county mil levy's from a bunch of other counties when I was looking at buying property throughout Wyoming.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by sunsprit

Hence the fallacy of declaring that the schools are funded principally by other than property taxes in "most areas" of Wyoming. T'ain't so. I know what Laramie county collects in property taxes for the schools, and have seen the county mil levy's from a bunch of other counties when I was looking at buying property throughout Wyoming.

Ok, if you say so. I know what I payed and what it was for.