My New Machine???

[Dougster]

Hey if you think NH has a monoply on the view tax you are mistaken. The view tax, is just one of the many ways towns in the state of Maine use to seperate us from our money. Have you ever heard of a farm that has been in the family for three generations being assesed and taxed as developabale land. We have tha same problem over here as any where else. People from away are willing to pay an ungodly amount of money for a building lot, all this does is raise everyone elses property values.
As far as everything south of Augusta, I have signed that petition ten times now. I think the new one going around gives everything south of Augusta back to Mass., heck most of the people from there that come up here believe that Maine belongs to MA anyway. I am all for it give it back to them, and put up a wall with gaurds and the whole nine yards.

Oh man! Aren't you all wound up today!

I understand that other places have their own versions of the "View Tax"... It just seems a bit more extreme and out-of-place in the land of Live Free or Die.

Yes, Maine crossed over to expensive, big brother government years ago. Not sure what drove it there, but Maine is just as bad as... if not worse than... crazy old Taxachusetts in many ways. I still love Maine... we sometimes vacation in the Acadia/Bar Harbor area (Beautiful!!!)... but no one I know (except Duct) is calling it a really cheap place to live anymore.

Dougster

 

[civesnedfield]

Oh man! Aren't you all wound up today!

I understand that other places have their own versions of the "View Tax"... It just seems a bit more extreme and out-of-place in the land of Live Free or Die.

Yes, Maine crossed over to expensive, big brother government years ago. Not sure what drove it there, but Maine is just as bad as... if not worse than... crazy old Taxachusetts in many ways. I still love Maine... we sometimes vacation in the Acadia/Bar Harbor area (Beautiful!!!)... but no one I know (except Duct) is calling it a really cheap place to live anymore.

Dougster

I know why. This is the first time in I do not know how many years that Maine is not on the top of the most taxed state in the union list. I think we came in second this year.

Wound up is and understatement. Besides just getting the new property tax bill in the mail, we just had a revaulation, yipeeeeee, work is driving me nuts

 

[Dougster]

I know why. This is the first time in I do not know how many years that Maine is not on the top of the most taxed state in the union list. I think we came in second this year. Wound up is an understatement. Besides just getting the new property tax bill in the mail, we just had a revaulation, yipeeeeee, work is driving me nuts

Well, as I've pointed out before, my property taxes went up 10.3% in fiscal 2006 and are going up more than 15% in fiscal 2007, the latter resulting from a recent general override of Prop 2-1/2 in our town. Being either laid-off or semi-retired or outright retired (depending how I feel about it on any given day), these kinds of double-digit tax increases simply cannot be tolerated for much longer.

Hope those "Taxachusetts" numbers make you feel a little better.

Dougster

 

[bindian]

We've certainly been warned enough times to be extremely careful about where and what we buy. We've been told that property taxes will vary wildly depending on location. I think it's not overstating it to say that property taxes will determine where and what we buy... and what we decide to build... even more so than purchase price and building costs. This will be our retirement home... hopefully semi-retirement for a while in my case... and we won't be in a position to pay crazy high property taxes merely for a "view"!

Dougster

Dougster,
Welcome to Texas! Homestead exemptions still apply to taxes here. You just have to be living in your home on January 1st. A homestead can include up to 20 acres, if the land is owned by the homeowner and used as a yard or for another purpose related to the residential use of the homestead. Only a homeowner's principal residence qualifies. Then you can have Agriculture and/or Timber exemptions.
Weirdest tax I heard of down here is some schools and counties in East Texas tax timber on it's worth at harvest time BEFORE it is ready to harvest. Yes, a lot of folks just buy property for it's timber, then they sale it. Don't know if they are still doing that or even if I got it right from my (now ex) mother in law.
hugs, Brandi

 

[Dougster]

Dougster, Welcome to Texas! Homestead exemptions still apply to taxes here. You just have to be living in your home on January 1st. A homestead can include up to 20 acres, if the land is owned by the homeowner and used as a yard or for another purpose related to the residential use of the homestead. Only a homeowner's principal residence qualifies. Then you can have Agriculture and/or Timber exemptions. Weirdest tax I heard of down here is some schools and counties in East Texas tax timber on it's worth at harvest time BEFORE it is ready to harvest. Yes, a lot of folks just buy property for it's timber, then they sale it. Don't know if they are still doing that or even if I got it right from my (now ex) mother in law.
hugs, Brandi

Believe me, I know that there are a LOT of cheaper (and better) places to live than Taxachusetts. I spent a lot of time in Texas during my career and enjoyed every single visit. It's one great state you've got down there! But unfortunately, I am an East Coast kind of guy that's too old to change. Best I can hope for is to find something marginally affordable up in New Hampshire or I'm guessing I will end up somewhere down in the Carolinas... with everybody else retiring from Taxachusetts!!!

Dougster

 

[Ductape]

Hey, I LOVE texas too !! Never been there, but i hear they have an electric chair or two...... AND USE THEM !!! God bless America !!

As far as Maine taxes go.... i know about the whole sales and income tax thing (and disagree with it all), but i'm going to tell you..... my brother lives in northern Maine on ten acres of (300' frontage) LAKEFRONT property. His house is legitimately worth 350K or so , and last years property tax was $700 !!!!!!! Not THOUSAND..... HUNDRED !! Why am i looking at land in Maine?? I realize i can't live there full time till Whats-Her-Name has enough time in for her pension (since i have none)..... but at least i can have a three season camp or sumthin in the meantime. OK.... so my brother DOES have to bring his own trash to the dump.......

 

[Dougster]

Hey, I LOVE texas too !! Never been there, but i hear they have an electric chair or two...... AND USE THEM !!! God bless America !!

Amen Brother Duct! That's one point on which we can always agree!

As far as Maine taxes go.... i know about the whole sales and income tax thing (and disagree with it all), but i'm going to tell you..... my brother lives in northern Maine on ten acres of (300' frontage) LAKEFRONT property. His house is legitimately worth 350K or so , and last years property tax was $700 !!!!!!! Not THOUSAND..... HUNDRED !! Why am i looking at land in Maine?? I realize i can't live there full time till Whats-Her-Name has enough time in for her pension (since i have none)..... but at least i can have a three season camp or sumthin in the meantime. OK.... so my brother DOES have to bring his own trash to the dump.......

Well, you do raise an interesting point. If I'm going to be retired and have almost no income, why should I worry about income tax? And if I'm smart and drive a ways and do my shopping in New Hampshire, why should I worry about sales tax? So chose the place with the cheapest property taxes and save a bundle! Got to admit that logic makes good sense.

Still, I gotta tell you that I don't get the same feeling of freedom while in Maine that I get while in New Hampshire. Hard to put my finger on specifics, but I know what I feel when I feel it. New Hampshire feels like the place where I belong. Maine is nifty, but it's just a place I go when I'm on summer vacation.

There are family issues as well. We can't be a million miles from leftover family located in Taxachusetts and Connecticut. The parts of NH that we are looking at are all within reasonable time and distance from family members. That's still going to be important to us.

Dougster

 

[MtnViewRanch]

There are family issues as well. We can't be a million miles from leftover family located in Taxachusetts and Connecticut. The parts of NH that we are looking at are all within reasonable time and distance from family members. That's still going to be important to us.

Dougster

I thought that every place in the east was within driving distance.
You guys drive across states in less time than we can go through counties out here.

 

[Keith_B]

It's tough to beat rural Kentucky as a place to live. Our property taxes are pretty reasonable, we still have homestead exemptions, the government doesn't bother you, and the cost of living is pretty good.

 

[Ductape]

MtnView, going to visit my brother in the next state takes nearly seven hours....though i could probably get to Dougster's house in under an hour. But.... why the heck would i want to go to Massachusetts???

Keith, i hear that about Ky. I have often told Whats-Her-Name we need to move closer to middle america. Each year i feel more and more that we are square pegs in round holes. Especially since our state turned blue. Our governor just signed a budget 15% over last years. Not much longer till folks are fleeing our state like they've done south of here in Massachusetts. Too bad most of both our families are here, makes it harder to leave.

Dougster, i think your feelings on Maine are based on the fact that you have not gone far enough north. Where my brother lives, there is no local police dept. (something you'd appreciate), and you have to drive 40 minutes or so to hit the nearest traffic light. Now THATS livin' !!