Property Tax Assessments.... (credit, income, living in)

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by rkcarguy

Time for us to "rotate out" for the next wave of rich out of staters seeking their "no income tax haven" ...

That's the thing about our state. If you are middle income and pay $10,000 in property tax it's about the same amount as property tax might have been. If your property tax is more than that, you would have been better off with the income tax. If you are rich that same property tax is far less than a 10% income tax would have been. That makes it a great place for the rich folks.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

I wish no income tax was universally helpful... but, you can be a Washingtonian but if earning in California you pay California Income Tax.

My flaw was thinking property tax as sustainable with the passage of I-747.

Not at my CA based employer.

They made our WA job vacancies, "internal to company only."
There were surplus (but worthless) employees in CA (WA manager was forced to hire them, but complained profusely they were not qualified)
Paid move to WA with 6 month bonus pay for 'pain and suffering' of moving to WA

Plus... Retained CA wage rate, which resulted in WA employees not getting performance increases for 6-10 yrs.

CA incompetent transferees took the upper band of payscale, not because of performance or merit, so the result. (As expected)

Contention:
CA transfers paid WAY too much for homes, just to avoid taxes on capital gains. They would add improvements, including basements under new houses, just to shelter taxes)
CA coworker incessantly complaining about WA workers "working too hard", making CA incompetents look bad. (That was easy)
Excellent WA employees left the company. (Those financially able)
Product and performance / company revenue suffered
Daily social pressures led to an industrial psychologist counseling the work group (for over a year). - lost productivity. Ironically, some CA transplants went out on FT disability (and moved back to CA)

As expected .... It was a costly mess, and WA workforce is but a shadow of it's previous innovation. (Happened in CO, OR, ID also). Accommodating to a fault. Many of the CA transplants remain, wondering what happened to the WA workforce.
Nothing's being innovated, just maintained.
Innovation and personal contribution were destroyed. (Surprise? Not)
90% of CA transferees retreat to CA prop 13 for retirement, and keep their WA an OR vacation props.

WA Tax assessor is happy.
Mission accomplished.

[rkcarguy]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

That's the thing about our state. If you are middle income and pay $10,000 in property tax it's about the same amount as property tax might have been. If your property tax is more than that, you would have been better off with the income tax. If you are rich that same property tax is far less than a 10% income tax would have been. That makes it a great place for the rich folks.

Bingo. You meant income tax+property taxes right? Interestingly enough, there are total tax load calculators by state on C-D even. Many income tax states have a lower total tax load for my situation. Oregon and WA are almost tied (1/10th of a %) despite huge differences in tax structure. This is with Oregon offering me "more house" as well.
The bolded is our big problem in WA, too many upper class too few worker bees to the point it's critical in many aspects. The problem is, we can't trust our state to make an adjustment to balance this out. They will just take more from all of us. The last income tax proposal was a classic example. Offered as a tax on the rich, but in the fine print "the legislature may expand or modify the income tax brackets and rates as seen fit without a vote of the people"

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by rkcarguy

Bingo. You meant income tax+property taxes right? Interestingly enough, there are total tax load calculators by state on C-D even. Many income tax states have a lower total tax load for my situation. Oregon and WA are almost tied (1/10th of a %) despite huge differences in tax structure. This is with Oregon offering me "more house" as well.
The bolded is our big problem in WA, too many upper class too few worker bees to the point it's critical in many aspects. The problem is, we can't trust our state to make an adjustment to balance this out. They will just take more from all of us. The last income tax proposal was a classic example. Offered as a tax on the rich, but in the fine print "the legislature may expand or modify the income tax brackets and rates as seen fit without a vote of the people"

The legislature can modify any laws that aren't codified in the state or federal constitutions without a direct vote of the people. That is what legislatures do and why they exist. We are a representative democracy not a direct democracy.

Of course all laws are to some extent indirectly voted on by the people when they elect their state legislature.

[509]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

Call first.
I just found out our Assessors are all WFH ONLY now..................
:

They were all working in the office. No WFH in Chelan County, thank god.

Originally Posted by wolfdog

How's the view?

The view goes with the land. My land value did NOT go up, just the home.

Originally Posted by jackmccullough

Did you have a townwide or countywide reassessment? What was your percentage of increase compared to the average, or to the grand list as a whole?

My increase was 200 percent. My neighbors increase was 40 to 80 percent. Average increase for the county is 15 to 20% for the past year.

The Assessor in his press release said it would be going down next year, as the urban refugees sell out and move back to Puget Sound since they cannot work from home anymore.

My neighbors have several architect designed homes built by high end contractors. My home was built by owner from a kit. My square foot costs are significantly higher than theirs!!!

The Assessor, "offered" reducing my assessment to 80% increase in one year.

I pulled the data from my neighbors assessments and will go ahead and do my "own" appraisal. Fortunately, previously I did review the appraisals of 700 properties. Learned a lot in that job on how to do an appraisal.

This is the second time, I redid the county appraisal in two years. Won that appeal. It was pretty much a open and shut case. This is a bit more complex, but not much.

I cannot believe how badly Chelan County has screwed up the assessments. At least be consistent!!!

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by 509

...
The Assessor, "offered" reducing my assessment to 80% increase in one year.

...
This is the second time, I redid the county appraisal in two years. Won that appeal. It was pretty much a open and shut case. This is a bit more complex, but not much.

I cannot believe how badly Chelan County has screwed up the assessments. At least be consistent!!!

Good luck.

I have fought many times and it is very troublesome.

Then the assessor reminds me...
I can only use addition and subtraction...
He can use multiplication (and will do so many times in the future.)

I always get an incremental reduction in valuation, but the 'multiplication factors' change next yr, I'm again far behind my neighbor assessments. They have the deluxe homes... I have formica, linoleum, and carpet
That's what's required to come in at $38 / SF cost basis. Assessor 'factor' uses $300/ sf.

[Wile E. Coyote]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

TRIPLED in 15 years? I don't buy it.

What city do you live in?

I live in Camas next to Vancouver in Clark County which has seen a lot of growth and appreciation in the past 15 years. We've only lived in this home for 8 years but I looked up the tax records on the county web site.

In 2008 taxes were $6,830
In 2013 taxes were 8,820

That is a 29% increase in 15 years, not a 300% increase.

Did you mean 2023 and not 2013?

I'm in a similar area to Camas (in Oregon). My house is 1,750 sq. ft. and I'm guessing yours is at least 2,500 sq. ft. probably on a larger lot... The neighborhood I am in is highly rated (like Camas).

2008 $2,800
2023 $4,900

So, I saw a 75% increase in property taxes.

[rkcarguy]

The bill to increase the annual cap on property taxes from 1% to 3% is of course back in play, first thing once legislators were back in session. FYI, such an increase compounded over 5-years would mean an additional 16% increase in property taxes if all else stayed the same.

[sluggermatt15]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

I wish no income tax was universally helpful... but, you can be a Washingtonian but if earning in California you pay California Income Tax.

My flaw was thinking property tax as sustainable with the passage of I-747.

I think it is where you live, not where you work, that determines income tax.

So if working remotely in WA but for a CA based employer, you file as a WA resident... so no state income tax.

[PhoenixSomeday]

Originally Posted by sluggermatt15

I think it is where you live, not where you work, that determines income tax.

So if working remotely in WA but for a CA based employer, you file as a WA resident... so no state income tax.

Yes. I was working remotely while living in AZ, but the company I work for is based in CA. I paid AZ income tax.