Blue sky thinking

estate

How much are they typically ?

We've got something broadly similar. Ages back it was called 'rates' and was assessed on the notional property value. Later under Thatcher's Consevatives it became the community charge a.ka. 'poll tax' and was charged per person which was monumentally unpopular, leading to a riot in London amongst other things, which forced a change to the current council tax which is based on a sliding scale related to notional property value and once again paid solely by the owner / occupier but discounted by

25% for single occupied homes.

For me it works out at about £1000 p.a for a 'band D' property ( out of bands A-H ).

happens to have some good explanations of these.

Graham

estate

Jim

assessed

the

monumentally

change to

discounted by

A-H ).

I'm paying about $4800 annually on a house valued at about $800K

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
I love to cook with wine.      Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Water is a big problem in most of the west. They are literally sucking the rivers dry. I was these this spring and Lake Powell was 113 feet below normal. In the first part of the 20th century they had water wars out there then we built al the dams. I fear we may have used up that resource and water wars may start up again but it will probably be between lawyers. We looked at property and one of the biggest issues is whether you get water rights to water that may be flowing by. It is not assured that you can actually use the creek you are next to..

estate

Jim

assessed

the

monumentally

change to

discounted by

A-H ).

good

I suspect that'll be quite a bit more than the equivalent here but my place is only worth about $400k ( US ) and I'm paying $1800 and it's a sliding scale not a proportional one so it doesn't go up pro-rata with value.

Graham

estate

Jim

assessed

the

monumentally

change to

discounted by

A-H ).

Here in California, we had a citizens's revolt and passed Proposition

13, which set annual tax rates at about 1.1 percent of the purchase price of your house. So we pay about $5000 a year, and our next-door neighbor, in a virtually identical house purchased some years later, pays over twice as much. He's an SOB, and it serves him right.

John

estate

Jim

assessed

the

monumentally

change to

discounted by

A-H ).

good

Ok, Even if that qualified as band H - that would be $4400 but I reckon it's more like an F or G $3200 - $3700. Mine actually comes out as $1650 with my 25% discount - I overestimated it.

Graham

We have a similar tax thing here, they can only raise the assessment

3% a year. That still adds up but not as fast as real estate prices. I am paying about $1300 for a house that would sell for about $600k I paid $72 k in 1984.

Doubt I would have done as well if I was renting ;-)

On Tue, 25 Jul 2006 14:47:40 -0700, John Larkin wrote in Msg.

That's interesting. In Germany there are other incentives.

Of course.

When you rent, you theoretically gather up an equally large heap of money by not having to pay installments (only interest). In reality of course you spend it, but that's besides the point.

There's much to be said in favor of home ownership, but the fraction of people owning a home in itself is not a measure of wealth in a society, but rather an indicator of how the real estate market works in a particular place.

robert

On Tue, 25 Jul 2006 13:53:31 -0700, Jim Thompson wrote in Msg.

Rent subsidies, ownership subsidies, what's the difference? A few notes though:

1. I'm actually "from" the US, but I live in Germany.
2. Germany is not Socialist, and the half in which I'm living never has been.
3. Germany subsidizes home ownership, but not renting. However, there is tight rent control preventing landlords to go completely overboard with what they think they can take for a place.

The rich are taxed less and less in this country.

Renting is pretty trouble-free, especially if you move every now and then. My parents own two houses, but they live in a rented one. What the heck, my wife and I are probably going to buy something the next time we move, but nothing could beat the place we're currently renting -- except in terms of space, which plays an incrasing role with two fast-growing kids.

robert

One major difference between the US and Germany is the home is usually the only investment most Ameriicans have. When they get old, if they have rented all their lives, they have nothing. The problem with that concept is people still keep borrowing against the equity in their home and they end up with nothing anyway. The hot real estate market is already starting to cool down and that will crash when boomers try to "cash in" their house. Of course the stock market will have that same pressure when they cash in their IRA/401k plans.

real estate

free, Jim

come

e

go

was assessed

ecame the

onumentally

d a change to

ional

scounted by

f bands A-H ).

ome good

I'm paying $5500 on a house assessed at $183K. ...a big reason we=20 were looking a housing in KY last weekend (about $1500 there, if I=20 understand the tax laws).

--=20 Keith

estate

Jim

assessed

the

monumentally

change to

discounted by

A-H ).

good

Wow... that seems really cheap - I pay about $3000 annualy on a $180k house.

--
Aaron

[snip]

You probably live in a "Blue State" ;-)

...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | | | E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat | |

| 1962 | I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

[snip]

only worth

proportional one so

Aha! "Progressive" property taxation. Fortunately, in the States that's about the only tax (besides sales tax), that is NOT "progressive".

But you can pay dearly by living in a blue state ;-)

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
I love to cook with wine.      Sometimes I even put it in the food.

But if I want to build a deck, or rewire the garage, or paint the outside of the house purple and orange, I can just do it.

John

I do; the bluest. :-( ...at least for a few more months.

--
  Keith

Unless you live somewhere with a restrictive HOA. If so, you can's sneeze without their permission.

--
  Keith

is only worth

proportional one so

I'm not quite sure what you mean by that.

In this case it's 'friendly' towards owners of higher value properties since they don't pay as much pro-rata based on property value.

I suspect it's the opposite of what you thought.

Graham

Around here, recalcitrant HOA board members have been known to be shot dead ;-)

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
I love to cook with wine.      Sometimes I even put it in the food.