Property Tax Increase (Guilford County)

So most of my friends know that I don't register my cars. Screw paying property taxes. I haven't paid property taxes on my Expedition. Ever. I bought it at the dealership, got a property tax bill in the mail for almost $600 and was like "nope, I'm good" and just never registered it again. I have insurance on it obviously. I'm giving it to my son to take to school since his XJ is having overheating problems (shocking) so decided I would get it legal for him. Wake County wanted back taxes. In order to register it, I would have to pay them almost $2800 in back taxes. So I transferred it into my business name and it'll be running Montana plates now. I also moved my business to a Montana LLC a while back because Wake County told me I had $38k in business assets and wanted like $400. I told them, I'm a YouTube channel, I don't even have $38k worth of anything, personal or business. :lol: They didn't care. So fuck them, I'm now headquartered in Montana.
 
awheelterd said:
What is the biggest money grab was that our "fire tax" essentially doubled in the past year. Country emergency services took over all the volunteer fire departments under the guise of better funding rural departments that didnt have the tax base of the suburbinites. Now instead of a district based fire rate, it's a countrywide rate. All local accountability is gone. My rate was 6c/ $100 valuation when it was set by our district. County took over and it is now 10c/100. Couple that with the change in valuations we are paying over double what we were last year. Screw that. All of a sudden we have the money for a new crash truck (ours works fine) a Northstar ranger And now a brand new tahoe. Its absolutely insane.
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To be fair, that's likely how many counties in this state are going to go. Volunteers are at an all time low and attracting new people is difficult. The state keeps changing training requirements and it's impossible to secure a firefighter 1 or 2 certificate as someone just doing it on the side. The state completely changed the training process a few years back. Instead of attending a class or two when you were able, the classes all got dispersed into big blocks that are much more difficult to attend because rather than a week or two of class, it lasts a month or more.

Counties that don't adopt an overall fire tax within the next few years are going to be in trouble because the costs of providing emergency services is astronomical now. A base level fire engine costs around 1m now. I'm not totally sure if the law is still in place, but for a long time, NC required that the first out engine be no older than 10 years. This was regardless of condition, miles, etc. Then pile on the cost of equipment. Turnout gear is around 5k new. My gear was from 1999 when I joined in 2019.

EMS in NC is a mandated public service too, unlike a lot of states in the US. Equipment costs there are also through the roof and lead times for new vehicles are 3-4 years out. A new ambulance is probably 750k base, and that's in a format like the Chevy Express of Ford Transit. Those bigger units cost way more. There's been talk for years that eventually the state will mandate 12 hour shifts maximum. For counties and providers running 24's, that's going to be a significant financial burden. There will probably be some sort of sunset provision, but most county and city budgets aren't going to be prepared for a roughly 750k to 1m bump in EMS funding for an extra shift.

I'm not sure most people understand exactly how tenuous emergency services really are in this state, or the entire county at large really. Rural counties are largely propped up by volunteers working for free. The state seems adamant that it wants to force paid employees everywhere, including counties that just simply can't afford it. For context, back in 2018 or so, Moore County operated their emergency services on a roughly 27m budget. That was the ENTIRE general fund of Montgomery County. I mean obviously they're not the same in terms of, well everything, but it sort of illustrates the disparity between the haves and have nots.
 
Blaze said:
So most of my friends know that I don't register my cars. Screw paying property taxes. I haven't paid property taxes on my Expedition. Ever. I bought it at the dealership, got a property tax bill in the mail for almost $600 and was like "nope, I'm good" and just never registered it again. I have insurance on it obviously. I'm giving it to my son to take to school since his XJ is having overheating problems (shocking) so decided I would get it legal for him. Wake County wanted back taxes. In order to register it, I would have to pay them almost $2800 in back taxes. So I transferred it into my business name and it'll be running Montana plates now. I also moved my business to a Montana LLC a while back because Wake County told me I had $38k in business assets and wanted like $400. I told them, I'm a YouTube channel, I don't even have $38k worth of anything, personal or business. :lol: They didn't care. So fuck them, I'm now headquartered in Montana.
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I live the exact same way. Ride dirty daily! I hate paying car taxes. It’s a scam.
 
Ron said:
But SC makes up for it on second homes.

Before we moved in York county are house was assessed at $445k - primary residence - our property taxes were $4,200/yr.
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Sounds like SC is higher in general. A $450k primary residence in Wake county would have a $3200 bill. City of Raleigh would be more like $4500.
 
shawn said:
Sounds like SC is higher in general. A $450k primary residence in Wake county would have a $3200 bill. City of Raleigh would be more like $4500.
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Hey man, 49th in education aint free - you gotta pay for that kinda success. :D

In all honesty York County gets skewed a bit I think because it borders the great state of Mecklenburg - which has notoriously high taxes as I understand it.

I know years ago DR Horton was building two neighborhoods, one in Ft Mill and One in Charlotte. They were 2-3 miles apart on the same road. Typical cookie cutter floor plan BS, the SC homes were like $15k more than the NC homes, same lot size same ammenities, and we were told the reason for the price difference was Mecklenburg County taxes were "so" much higher, that the SC homes were more but still had a lower monthly payment.
 
Macdaddy4738 said:
To be fair, that's likely how many counties in this state are going to go. Volunteers are at an all time low and attracting new people is difficult. The state keeps changing training requirements and it's impossible to secure a firefighter 1 or 2 certificate as someone just doing it on the side. The state completely changed the training process a few years back. Instead of attending a class or two when you were able, the classes all got dispersed into big blocks that are much more difficult to attend because rather than a week or two of class, it lasts a month or more.

Counties that don't adopt an overall fire tax within the next few years are going to be in trouble because the costs of providing emergency services is astronomical now. A base level fire engine costs around 1m now. I'm not totally sure if the law is still in place, but for a long time, NC required that the first out engine be no older than 10 years. This was regardless of condition, miles, etc. Then pile on the cost of equipment. Turnout gear is around 5k new. My gear was from 1999 when I joined in 2019.

EMS in NC is a mandated public service too, unlike a lot of states in the US. Equipment costs there are also through the roof and lead times for new vehicles are 3-4 years out. A new ambulance is probably 750k base, and that's in a format like the Chevy Express of Ford Transit. Those bigger units cost way more. There's been talk for years that eventually the state will mandate 12 hour shifts maximum. For counties and providers running 24's, that's going to be a significant financial burden. There will probably be some sort of sunset provision, but most county and city budgets aren't going to be prepared for a roughly 750k to 1m bump in EMS funding for an extra shift.

I'm not sure most people understand exactly how tenuous emergency services really are in this state, or the entire county at large really. Rural counties are largely propped up by volunteers working for free. The state seems adamant that it wants to force paid employees everywhere, including counties that just simply can't afford it. For context, back in 2018 or so, Moore County operated their emergency services on a roughly 27m budget. That was the ENTIRE general fund of Montgomery County. I mean obviously they're not the same in terms of, well everything, but it sort of illustrates the disparity between the haves and have nots.
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Oh I see all that. Im on the department, not an outside observer. We are just over funded now plain and simple. Our engines all pass pump test every year. New engines are expensive and they have one on order, but why do we have so much money left over that we can buy $100,000 worth of non-firefighting equipment each year?
 
awheelterd said:
Oh I see all that. Im on the department, not an outside observer. We are just over funded now plain and simple. Our engines all pass pump test every year. New engines are expensive and they have one on order, but why do we have so much money left over that we can buy $100,000 worth of non-firefighting equipment each year?
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because the masses keep paying their taxes like good boys and girls, no matter the increase, fraud, waste, and abuse that is shown to them day after day.
 
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Yea....they'll eventually pay.

As soon as Johnny Law gets behind them at the stop light and sees that 2021 sticker on the plate.

Then they'll be on the hook for the late penalties, or they'll lose the plate and/or the car.

#winning
 
RatLabGuy said:
oh really
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Sorry, screw paying property taxes on my cars. I am fine with paying on my house. But cars......I already paid when I bought the thing. I pay taxes when I gas it up. I pay taxes when I buy parts for it. I pay taxes when I put tires on it.

benXJ said:
Yea....they'll eventually pay.

As soon as Johnny Law gets behind them at the stop light and sees that 2021 sticker on the plate.

Then they'll be on the hook for the late penalties, or they'll lose the plate and/or the car.

#winning
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Nope, there are ways around it. Like selling your car to your business located out of state. I currently drive a car with 2013 plates on it. :lol:
 
Blaze said:
Sorry, screw paying property taxes on my cars. I am fine with paying on my house. But cars......I already paid when I bought the thing. I pay taxes when I gas it up. I pay taxes when I buy parts for it. I pay taxes when I put tires on it.
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How is a house any different? You pay tax on everything that goes into it as well.
Philosophically its identical. You're just choosing to skip the one that's easier to get away with.
 
benXJ said:
because the masses keep paying their taxes like good boys and girls, no matter the increase, fraud, waste, and abuse that is shown to them day after day.
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Agreed.
How do we fix it?
 
No real hope now, cause the masses have food, Netflix, and sports ball. As soon as you say 'reduce taxes' the Ds will scream that kids will die in the street and some sort of -ism or phobic and it'll be shut down.

Not to.mentiin the mayor, council, and commissioners are drunk on your money.

But, if you will help me become mayor, Ill campaign on it. Tax cuts across the board.
 
awheelterd said:
Oh I see all that. Im on the department, not an outside observer. We are just over funded now plain and simple. Our engines all pass pump test every year. New engines are expensive and they have one on order, but why do we have so much money left over that we can buy $100,000 worth of non-firefighting equipment each year?
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Fair, but at least for the most part, that money is going to something with some kind of tangible benefit I think. I'm fine with my taxes, even if they're too high, going to emergency services, schools, or libraries.

I'm not fine with it going to add another 10, 20, 30k to the county manager's salary, or to bullshit like "pocket parks" or public amphitheaters when the water system is literally falling apart. I worked as planning director for Montgomery County for 8 years. I quit when I came to the conclusion that ultimately my job was a complete and utter waste of tax payer dollars. It could have been farmed out to a third party for half of the cost, or less, because the work load for a full time position simply wasn't there. It was manufactured by bureaucratic nonsense that really didn't help anyone in the long run. Funny enough, the guy who took that position like 3 years ago just left. It pays 75 to 88k now. Way more than I was making. And for what extra services? Nothing. Not a damn thing.

Just invest the money wisely. One day it'll be shifted elsewhere and you'll find yourself short once again. Politicians love to make stupid decisions with our money. I'd love an extra 100k for our department. I hardly make calls anymore because I work too much and I'm never at home or asleep about 90% of the time, but it is definitely needed. Our SCBA refill system is from like 1970. None of the new guys know how, or want to know how to use it. It's freaking sketchy. Gear has finally caught up for the most part. Still using ridiculous steel tanks.
 
Scott86MJ said:
I'm in IT and the most lucrative jobs are for government or some company like Meta or Google. It used to be that you would get payed less but have good benefits if you worked for the man, but no longer. I'm pursuing a job with the government. Job Bulletin
Even a cable tech gets PAID by the man $80,000 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/c/City...hnician/-in-Charlotte,NC?jid=5ff7adb27b21605f
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they're paying for the bit of your soul that you lose learning patience working for the government.
I suspect that's also a really high turnover job that they have to pay competitively to try and keep people there. Working in that environment must be miserable.

But sweet baby jebus I have a coworker w/ an MBA and a Masters in Bioengineering and several years experience in R&D that only makes a little more than that cable tech
 
RatLabGuy said:
How is a house any different? You pay tax on everything that goes into it as well.
Philosophically its identical. You're just choosing to skip the one that's easier to get away with.
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My house is part of the community. I pay taxes to cover the schools my kids go to, the fire/ems/police that help protect my house, etc. The government taxes cars because they are expensive and it is an easy way to get tax money. You know how many people have TVs that are worth more than most of my cars? Probably a lot. Computers? Probably the same. Why not tax those? Why not tax everything that has a high value just to get some extra tax money?
 
I hope yall add your mowers and weed eaters on the lists as well.


tractors, motors, loaders, power equipment, skid loader, combine, corn picker, hay baler, forage harvester, mower conditioner, windrower, grinder/mixer, manure spreader, rotary cutter, wheat drill, tobacco harvester/stringer, corn planter, irrigation equipment, plow, harrow, cultivator, trailer, wagon, bulk equipment, sprayer, dairy equipment, blade saw, post driver, splitter, sub-soiler, air-compressor, auger, chisel plow, backhoe, chicken, hog & egg house equipment, (including feeders, circulating fan, heat and air system, feed bin, watering equipment, conveyors, etc.).
 
Ron said:
all honesty York County gets skewed a bit I think because it borders the great state of Mecklenburg - which has notoriously high taxes as I understand
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No judgement, I was just curious based on the "SC is cheaper" claims. SC and NC look pretty similar in terms of where tax money comes from on a percentage and rate basis. Business taxes and income tax is a little higher in SC. York county property tax is a few cents cheaper than Meck, but $.03 per $100 adds up.

TN brings in most of their money from sales and franchise taxes.

RatLabGuy said:
But sweet baby jebus I have a coworker w/ an MBA and a Masters in Bioengineering and several years experience in R&D that only makes a little more than that cable tech
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He chose poorly.
 
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