On 8/4/2014 3:59 AM, CRNG wrote:
On Mon, 4 Aug 2014 00:12:12 +0000 (UTC), "Danny D."
wrote in

A "nice" house, is over a million, and, if you want any land
to speak of, then you're looking at multiple millions. Assume
about 1.5% (give or take) for taxes every year, and you begin
to see what it costs us to live here.

I thought Prop-13 passed in the mid 1970s limited property taxes to 1%
of the owner's purchase price with a *very small* increase allowed
every year? Did that change or did the politicos find a way around
it?

Maximum of 2% per year increase.

This would be pretty fair, and would provide sufficient revenue, if it
applied to one, primary, non-commercial, owner-occupied, residence, with
no exceptions. Unfortunately there are loads of exceptions. So with so
many people able to pay far less than their fair share, the property
taxes need to be supplemented with parcel taxes.

Additional parcel taxes can be passed with a 2/3 vote. School taxes in
areas with good schools always seem to pass. With good reason because
houses in areas with good schools increase in value and are fairly
immune to housing bubbles. A 1960's era, 1500-2000 square foot, tract
home, on a 6000 square foot lot, in a neighborhood with good schools, is
around $1.5 million. Property taxes would be about $20K per year.

Housing and college tuition are what are the biggest expenses in
California. Other expenses are not really greater than a lot of other
states. Food is cheap.