General Discussion

lumberjack_jeff

(33,224 posts)

64. Where is this 'downtown Washington with the excellent public transport'?

Sun Oct 14, 2012, 03:08 PM

Oct 2012

I'd like to visit this mythical place.

Rent is high because 20-30% of the rent is property taxes passed along to the tenants.

The tax system here is every bit the catastrophe that the OP indicates. There's a reason that Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Howard Shultz choose to live here (and it isn't the weather).

What Washington does do well is to obfuscate how much you are paying, and how. No one here knows what they really pay in state and local taxes because it's all hidden. Consequently, the system is arranged so that taxes are paid by those who can least afford it... and every year, the legislature budgets based on a moving target; they have no idea how much revenue they'll get so each year is feast/famine.

The first principle of fair taxes is knowing how much you paid. Washington completely fails in this regard.

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What's the Matter with Washington State? [View all] ErikJ Oct 2012 OP

Dunno, but it's kind of stupid. Tigress DEM Oct 2012 #1

WA has no state income tax. JimDandy Oct 2012 #2

That's the big one.... Wounded Bear Oct 2012 #4

With big out-of-state money. ErikJ Oct 2012 #14

Bill Gates Sr is pretty cool upi402 Oct 2012 #32

Everyone was afraid it would change marlakay Oct 2012 #87

NEXT time it comes up ErikJ Oct 2012 #88

Wow lower property taxes easy pass marlakay Oct 2012 #100

food isn't taxed with some exceptions (like at restaurants). HiPointDem Oct 2012 #8

You're correct-food for consumption at home is NOT taxed anymore JimDandy Oct 2012 #54

'anymore'? i don't remember it ever being taxed in wa. HiPointDem Oct 2012 #65

It was taxed by the legislature JimDandy Oct 2012 #85

that is one single recent attempt that affected candy bars & similar things. food was never taxed HiPointDem Oct 2012 #86

WA resident here HeiressofBickworth Oct 2012 #94

also wa resident (since birth). not saying you're wrong, but do you have a date? HiPointDem Oct 2012 #95

I'm not sure this information is exact HeiressofBickworth Oct 2012 #98

actually, i did a bit more research. Food consumed off-premises (e.g. at home = groceries) was HiPointDem Oct 2012 #102

Grocery store food is not taxed. n/t Suich Oct 2012 #9

Thanks for catching that. JimDandy Oct 2012 #55

You got it mick063 Oct 2012 #18

When did that happen? Was still 37.5 cents/ gal JimDandy Oct 2012 #61

and the alcohol shanti Oct 2012 #24

Really? JonLP24 Oct 2012 #41

No State Income Tax in Washington LeFleur1 Oct 2012 #45

Right. JimDandy Oct 2012 #59

Food is not taxed here. cilla4progress Oct 2012 #60

Thanks. Tax on some grocery foods has been removed JimDandy Oct 2012 #63

Same w/NH and they are running close to WA geckosfeet Oct 2012 #78

How states like South Dakota can tax food is beyond me. libinnyandia Oct 2012 #3

I knew the Texas sales tax was regressive but.. ananda Oct 2012 #5

Food isn't taxed in WA. n/t pnwmom Oct 2012 #52

I'll tell you why: states with income taxes aren't very progressive -- in fact, they can be HiPointDem Oct 2012 #6

no, the state taxes are somewhat progressive hfojvt Oct 2012 #10

Look at the OP. They're *not* progressive. HiPointDem Oct 2012 #11

Bill Gates, Sr., not Bill Gates, Jr. Raster Oct 2012 #29

yeah, so the popular mythology goes. you know him personally, do you? fwiw, bill jr also HiPointDem Oct 2012 #46

I actually have met the man and he's a decent person. nolabear Oct 2012 #92

you'll forgive me if i disagree, i'm sure. HiPointDem Oct 2012 #97

the OP is talking about all taxes, NOT just state INCOME taxes hfojvt Oct 2012 #36

you're right. however, 43 states have an income tax & 45 have a sales tax. for a lot of the states HiPointDem Oct 2012 #40

I looked at all 50 states plus DC hfojvt Oct 2012 #48

no idea what is meant by "an average income tax that is negative". HiPointDem Oct 2012 #66

a negative tax rate hfojvt Oct 2012 #103

if the average rate is negative, it means there's no net tax collected. so it didn't make sense HiPointDem Oct 2012 #104

The last time I was in Washington State, the "tourist tax" was pretty high Art_from_Ark Oct 2012 #101

This is 180� wrong. lumberjack_jeff Oct 2012 #21

poor people *can* avoid a great deal of sales tax. poor people with income *can't* avoid an income HiPointDem Oct 2012 #23

I thought the context would make what I'm saying apparent. lumberjack_jeff Oct 2012 #37

and actually renters pay a higher rate since apartments dsc Oct 2012 #42

that's not what you said, though. HiPointDem Oct 2012 #44

Proaganda media works upi402 Oct 2012 #7

i think you just described my sister. barbtries Oct 2012 #26

Oh my god upi402 Oct 2012 #33

that's my baby girl barbtries Oct 2012 #34

Maybe an old fashioned system that needs updating? treestar Oct 2012 #12

run by bill gates and his minions, who want an income tax. just not on folks like bill gates, who HiPointDem Oct 2012 #13

Don't forget the 2.2 billion tax welfare 'er subsidy that Boeing got. Yes, this welfare check saves sad sally Oct 2012 #15

In Washington, fixing the problem would require a constitutional amendment. nt lumberjack_jeff Oct 2012 #38

I live here, and I have no fucking idea. n/t lumberjack_jeff Oct 2012 #16

But you're OK, you're a lumberjack. Raster Oct 2012 #30

No state income tax cmf Oct 2012 #17

most states that have an income tax also have a sales tax, so it's a pretty good bet we'd get HiPointDem Oct 2012 #47

We also have the highest minimum wage in the EmeraldCityGrl Oct 2012 #19

WA is Orange County to San Diego CA, without the rest of SoCal to temper it. Egalitarian Thug Oct 2012 #20

Those 47% who pay no federal income taxes PA Democrat Oct 2012 #22

Before you bag on WA too much, remember that voters there are set to possibly Warren DeMontague Oct 2012 #25

Making me go broke while recognizing my equality xchrom Oct 2012 #27

Not being a Resident, I can't say. Warren DeMontague Oct 2012 #28

That would depend entirely on the cost of the wedding. pnwmom Oct 2012 #51

hell I just live here MFM008 Oct 2012 #31

Not sure where they are getting their information about Alaska. Arctic Dave Oct 2012 #35

Property and sales taxes are regressive. lumberjack_jeff Oct 2012 #39

Considering most of the state doesn't have a sales tax, I don't see Arctic Dave Oct 2012 #43

The numbers may look bad from that perspective, but it works out pretty well bhikkhu Oct 2012 #49

Spokane #1 on Forbes List of worst places to get a job. n/t jtuck004 Oct 2012 #50

I think having the highest minimum wage does help to counteract the highest sales tax. pnwmom Oct 2012 #53

Where is this 'downtown Washington with the excellent public transport'? lumberjack_jeff Oct 2012 #64

rent is high because the rich & upper classes have bid up the price of housing in the seattle market HiPointDem Oct 2012 #67

"Washington" != "Seattle" lumberjack_jeff Oct 2012 #76

and all of washington doesn't have high rents. where i live rents aren't significantly higher than HiPointDem Oct 2012 #80

Its been ten years since I live there, but the Seattle area is what I am most familiar with bhikkhu Oct 2012 #71

Seattle is okay, but I wouldn't move there. lumberjack_jeff Oct 2012 #77

We just went eighty-two days without rain. And when it does, it's a light drizzle. Norrin Radd Oct 2012 #105

I live in Seattle and it's still a decent place. Public transportation is getting even better. nolabear Oct 2012 #93

No.. PowerToThePeople Oct 2012 #56

The federal sales tax deduction only applies if you have large deductions elsewhere. former9thward Oct 2012 #68

So your billionaires and millionaires should live tax free in Wash?! ErikJ Oct 2012 #69

if they tax income PowerToThePeople Oct 2012 #73

Next time they need to drop sales and property tax in exchange for income tax ErikJ Oct 2012 #89

*You* are the answer to the OP's question. lumberjack_jeff Oct 2012 #90

Can anyone? PowerToThePeople Oct 2012 #99

Well, we started out ok... jtuck004 Oct 2012 #57

... leftstreet Oct 2012 #58

Ask Boeing and Microsoft Generic Other Oct 2012 #62

Race to the bottom ErikJ Oct 2012 #70

They don't have an income tax. KamaAina Oct 2012 #72

Ironic because the income tax proposal was initiated by Bill Gates ErikJ Oct 2012 #75

The M$ mole managed to get them to cut the royalty tax by two-thirds KamaAina Oct 2012 #84

An initiative for an income tax on top earners got absolutely flattened at the polls eridani Oct 2012 #74

Rent is high on the entire West Coast oppressedproletarian Oct 2012 #79

I agree, it's regressive. I think the reason we keep voting down a state income tax is simple though Matariki Oct 2012 #81

Tennessee has no income tax, only a sales tax. NashvilleLefty Oct 2012 #82

Tennessee 8th worst. Poor pay 4 times more than top 1% ErikJ Oct 2012 #83

Do those calculations take into account NashvilleLefty Oct 2012 #91

I voted against the state income tax HeiressofBickworth Oct 2012 #96