True story. I just learned today that this joke legislature has exempted not only the house and one acre of land for qualifying seniors (under $35k, I believe), they have upped the exemption to the house and Five acres. Cool.

In case you don't get it. Every time the state shrinks the tax base by grabbing land or giving out exemptions, the working stiff picks up the tab. The government doesn't loose any money with exemptions, they just redistribute the bill to the people who do pay taxes.

It's similar, by the way, to the initiative that lowered car tabs to $30. While the better-off guys got a break on their motor homes and $50,000 rigs, all my tabs went up because I drive older vehicles because I can't afford a great deal. That's fair, eh?

Anyway, this latest "tax shift" is compliments of our "let us take care of you" legislature. Say, "Thank You" at the voting booth.

Funny thing is, the exemption does not address wealth. You could have millions stashed. I don't know, but they may have also increased the qualifying amount. You would just have to figure out how to live on just under the maximum annual amount. I know you can be creative.

I think I would rather live on enough to pay my taxes than worry about how I could get my income down so I would not have to pay taxes. I don't envy people who have low enough income to qualify for exemptions. Got bigger and more important stuff to worry about.

Aunty, If your place is assessed at 150,000 and the levy rate is 1% (or 10/1000), then your tax is 1500/yr, as you state. However, if you are a qualifying senior your levy rate runs about 8/1000 on 60K for the under 25K folks, so the taxes would be about 480/yr. Not a huge amount, admittedly, unless you are a qualifying senior.

You, Jhook, are spot on.

I've come to the conclusion, however, that is our government's unspoken policy to tax you into the poor house and then put you on an exemption. One of the by products of tax exemptions, whether senior, agricultural, or timber, and land trusts, and down zoning such as GMA, and parks and schools and other state and county owned properties, is that the supply of buildable parcels gets less and less. The end result is higher and higher demand. Price, value, and taxes go up with demand. Which is great if you are into land speculation and a total rip is you just want to live on a particular piece of property that has sentimental value.

Not whining here, just stating the facts.

First qustion Aunty, "how big is your land."
Not accusing you of something, just want to make a point. Think about the question and I will come back to it in a moment.
I do this for a living, so I have a real good feel for what is going on out there. First, regarding exeptions- I also have failed to seen anything regarding wealth in relation to exemptions. What I have seen is old ladies living in North Tacoma in 3500 to 4500 sq Ft houses worth half a million or better complaining because they can't pay the property taxes. Yet they sure vote in the levies. I look at it this way, you have an plumber in the 60's who was lucky enough to buy a real good home in a real good area for an affordable price. He stops working at 65 and lives soley on his Social Security because he never saved a dime. Now if his wife is younger than him, they may qualify for the exemption till she dies at 90 which could be as much at 30 plus years. Their grandkids work two jobs to afford a home one third the size, and end up paying twice the property taxes their grandma
does. They vote down the levies in an attempt to make the property taxes livable, but the levies always pass due to the amount of people voting who don't have to pay them (subsidized renters, elderly, etc.) They had to buy a little later in life (at 28 years of age)since everything is so expensive. For the next thirty years they could be forced to live in a house that isn't big enough for them, while grandma cools her hills in a house that they will never, ever, be able to afford, enough though they both work good jobs. Something about the whole thing seems a bit unfair to me. People try to argue that they shouldn't have to pay as much since they have already paid their share and also because they don't have kids in school anymore. Tell this to single people, industrial and commercial property owners, people with vacant land, and people with out children.
Now on the other side of the fence, I asked how big your lot was becuase of a general observation. If you had a large lot, you very likely would be mad that the county took away the ability for you to short plat and make some money you might need for retirement. If you are living on a small lot, what right should you have to dictate that everyone who comes behind you have to have bigger lots then you. If it such a concern perhaps you should have to tear down your house or buy more land to make it comply. It is very easy to dictate that others do or loose what we don't have.
There are people who do own large parcels and want to keep the surrounding enviroment the same, but for the most part this seems to be the minority. I am not for uncontrolled growth, mind you, but I am for fairness in the law. You may want large lots, but in the end what you will get is every large lot developed, whether or not the land is very good for development - no true peices of open space /every parcel of land fenced and posted - and very expensive prices due to the scarcity of land.
I can almost guarantee you, Aunty, that if it wasn't for the growth management act reducing land availablity, you would have very little demand for the land around you. As it is, I have even driven all the wayout there to see what is available, something that was out of the question even 2 years ago.

Aunty, I understood that you were paying the full amount, just a over statement about people that don't.
You are right that they shouldn't have allowed the subdivision, especially if it doesn't conform to the area. I still haven't figured out what the planners are doing here in Pierce County. I live on a large lot in a bad neighborhood with apartments all around me. I am about 2 minutes from the freeway, have a busy road in front of me with a major bus line that runs every 30 hour or so, yet have a fairly restrictive zoning (4 per acre net - which translates to just over 3 per acre. Yet I can travel out meridian, our counties worst road, and at approximately 8 miles from the freeway (20 to 30 minutes drive time) with no bus or little bus service, they are slapping up condominiums and 3000 sq ft building lots. I really am thinking its time to leave the area and go somewhere else.

The wealth issue is true. There is no requirement to report what anyone has socked away somewhere. The application relies on age and "reportable income". Savings is not reportable income. So theoretically a person could trim his/her/their lifestyle down to a qualifying level. I have no idea just exactly how feasible that is, but it IS possible. Interestingly, the old woman senario.... living in the huge house, could sell the house for a bundle, stash the profit, miss qualifying one year, and be on the exemption the next.

Some counties were required to incorporate GMA due to growth rate, some were not. Chelan County said "Screw you" to the State about GMA, but later reluctantly complied because the State pulled the plug on any monies going to Chelan County. Extortion of sorts.

The subdivision next to you is interesting, Aunty. In Jefferson County, it is a requirement that all neighbors be notified and given a chance to have their say about such things. Not so, there?

Your place sounds a little like ours...five acres at the end of the road. There are three places down here, but the closest is 1000 ft away or so. I have the tractors, so guess who maintains the road?