Chicago and its taxes; is it dying?

[caulfield12]

How about those retired people run the US government instead?

 

Teaching requires a lot of energy, preparation and passion, it's not a volunteer position. 90% of the kids in high school today would never be able to relate to older people, and if you can't build repoire...you're never going to get their attention, and they're not going to learn much, if anything.

 

Kids in this generation are addicted to computer games, high tech devices, selfies...with that generation gap, what are they going to have in common? How many older people can teach in new and innovative ways that can engage the multiple learning styles...other than just giving a lecture or writing notes on the board?

 

Even taking 25-40 year olds with lots of energy AND life experience and putting them into the Teach for America program hasn't made much of a dent in inner city school problems...and those are often teachers with some pretty top notch educational and career backgrounds who quickly burn out after 2-4 years.

Edited January 20, 2017 by caulfield12

[Harry Chappas]

Thanks for the excellent responses. I wonder why that woman told my friend she couldn't afford the property taxes. Thanks again. The one pot shot about Kansas. I'm not acting like Kansas is any good. I was just wondering if my favorite city of Chicago was in deep trouble or not.

 

Could somebody estimate for me the taxes you'd pay with a modest house on 103rd and Trumbull? Mt. Greenwood? What would the house be worth and what would a working stiff have to pay in taxes to live there?? Thank you very much.

 

About $2,900, up from $2,100 five or six years ago.

 

[RockRaines]

About $2,900, up from $2,100 five or six years ago.

God damn.

[Dick Allen]

Technically Chicago isnt even in the top 30 for murders per capita (last time I looked) so its not extremely violent considering its the 3rd largest city. Gun violence is obviously the largest issue as the other violent crimes are down. There is no reason to live scared.

It's still violent and not getting better. Have 4 people shot and 3 women attacked within 2 blocks of where you live in 6 months . I doubt you would think it's not so bad. I live in an upscale neighborhood, and have been here over 2 decades. This crap isn't supposed to happen, and used not happen. It's one reason why my taxes increased. It's not getting better. Hoping for a change, but I have zero confidence in Rahm getting it done. I am a democrat, and think Rahm is an awful mayor.

Edited January 20, 2017 by Dick Allen

[Harry Chappas]

God damn.

 

Yes that is a nice number but then add in the amount you spend because the public schools suck.

 

There is no high school option for Beverly / Mt Greenwood so you have a $10K hit for that per student as well as grammar school for a good number of folks in that area.

 

I give the archdiocese of Chicago $18,000 a year.

 

 

 

[RockRaines]

It's still violent and not getting better. Have 4 people shot and 3 women attacked within 2 blocks of where you live in 6 months . I doubt you would think it's not so bad. I live in an upscale neighborhood, and have been here over 2 decades. This crap isn't supposed to happen, and used not happen. It's one reason why my taxes increased. It's not getting better. Hoping for a change, but I have zero confidence in Rahm getting it done. I am a democrat, and think Rahm is an awful mayor.

He is awful, but you've hit on a sensitive point for a lot of folks. There is a long standing debate on police focus, whether they want them to focus on stopping gun crime in traditionally high crime areas or should they focus on keeping crime out of the tourist/upscale area like River North which has become increasingly violent.

 

Lakeview has been a pretty high crime area considering how "upscale" the reputation is. Sexual assaults and robberies are extremely common. A lot of people think enacting laws like they did in NYC (stop and frisk) can combat some of this. Other's believe its a huge overreach of police power. Its certainly something that will be debated in the next election.

[Jake]

A lot of cities that are Chicago's size tax incomes.

 

Found this somewhat outdated article interesting: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-cit...-182112538.html

 

The average effective state+local tax rate for Chicagoans making $25k is 15.6% while it is about 10% for people making $150k, which includes the average property taxes paid by someone at that income level. The numbers for both are likely to be a little lower now since those numbers are from the 5% state tax year.

[Dick Allen]

A lot of cities that are Chicago's size tax incomes.

 

Found this somewhat outdated article interesting: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-cit...-182112538.html

 

The average effective state+local tax rate for Chicagoans making $25k is 15.6% while it is about 10% for people making $150k, which includes the average property taxes paid by someone at that income level. The numbers for both are likely to be a little lower now since those numbers are from the 5% state tax year.

I don't know how someone could have a 10% state and local tax rate living in Chicago unless you don't ever have to buy anything. It's at least 10% every time you open your wallet.

[RockRaines]

I don't know how someone could have a 10% state and local tax rate living in Chicago unless you don't ever have to buy anything. It's at least 10% every time you open your wallet.

I thought it was talking about state income tax. But I did barely read it. I like when you go to eat lunch at Chipotle or something and then have the same meal in Dupage or even another state and its such a different price. Its like constantly living in an airport.

 

However, beer can still be had cheap.

[CanOfCorn]

My taxes in oak park are 400% higher than what they were in the city of Chicago. Your friends have no idea what they are talking about.

 

Yes but those taxes are palpable. So, it's a little easier to take. How do I know? I live here too!

 

Quick story. We forgot to close our garage door and our car was broken into. We called the police to file a report. They said someone would be out within the hour. 10 minutes later, the doorbell rings. My wife goes to the back with the officer. After a couple of minutes, she gets a call that someone is breaking into a car in a garage nearby. The officer says to my wife, "I have to respond to this, another officer should be by in a day or two." Literally 5 minutes later, the doorbell rings again. Another officer is there to finish up the report.

 

Two weeks later, the phone rings. I pick up the phone and it's the Oak Park Police Department. "Good morning sir, we don't have any news about your report, but we wanted to check in to see how your service was. Did the officers answer all your questions?..." etc.

 

You would never get that in the city...and probably most cities or suburbs. Ever since then, the tax burden doesn't seem so burdensome.

 

[RockRaines]

We pay for a clean safe village with awesome schools, and I get that. But it is funny the difference in taxes between here and my place in the West Loop. It was shocking.

 

I had a similar story. My car was actually hit when I was downtown and it was parked near the green line in the lot off harlem. There was a note from the cops, and a report filed while I was downtown and they followed up the same day. Also you know not to drive drunk or make wrong turns around here. They will f***ing get you.

Edited January 20, 2017 by RockRaines

[bmags]

Yes but those taxes are palpable. So, it's a little easier to take. How do I know? I live here too!

 

Quick story. We forgot to close our garage door and our car was broken into. We called the police to file a report. They said someone would be out within the hour. 10 minutes later, the doorbell rings. My wife goes to the back with the officer. After a couple of minutes, she gets a call that someone is breaking into a car in a garage nearby. The officer says to my wife, "I have to respond to this, another officer should be by in a day or two." Literally 5 minutes later, the doorbell rings again. Another officer is there to finish up the report.

 

Two weeks later, the phone rings. I pick up the phone and it's the Oak Park Police Department. "Good morning sir, we don't have any news about your report, but we wanted to check in to see how your service was. Did the officers answer all your questions?..." etc.

 

You would never get that in the city...and probably most cities or suburbs. Ever since then, the tax burden doesn't seem so burdensome.

 

Oak Park in the 80s had something like the most cops per capita in the country. I think it's less extreme now.

[bmags]

Age does not grant wisdom, which does not grant the ability to teach.

 

I have a principal in my family. Routinely says the teachers they get out of ISU's education program are better than those that specialized in something like math or English and went into teaching after.

 

 

[RockRaines]

Oak Park in the 80s had something like the most cops per capita in the country. I think it's less extreme now.

They act like the damn border patrol at times on the east side, which is kind of sad. We also had a ton of CPD milling around as well.

[bmags]

It's still violent and not getting better. Have 4 people shot and 3 women attacked within 2 blocks of where you live in 6 months . I doubt you would think it's not so bad. I live in an upscale neighborhood, and have been here over 2 decades. This crap isn't supposed to happen, and used not happen. It's one reason why my taxes increased. It's not getting better. Hoping for a change, but I have zero confidence in Rahm getting it done. I am a democrat, and think Rahm is an awful mayor.

 

It's really bad, and their clearance rate is 30 points below national average. They aren't solving crimes and aren't preventing them.

 

The worst part about Rahm is it does not even appear he is trying. Would you say crime has even been a focus of his policy? I wouldn't.

 

I don't really care that he's a democrat, local politics are different. The taxing of every transaction IS terrible. People like seeing public services and works like the el go up, but taxes as health policy is really offputting to me. I think it can work on bigger items, but when you are talking about daily transactions it's just builds a bad relationship between tax payer and gov't.

[Y2HH]

It's really bad, and their clearance rate is 30 points below national average. They aren't solving crimes and aren't preventing them.

 

The worst part about Rahm is it does not even appear he is trying. Would you say crime has even been a focus of his policy? I wouldn't.

 

I don't really care that he's a democrat, local politics are different. The taxing of every transaction IS terrible. People like seeing public services and works like the el go up, but taxes as health policy is really offputting to me. I think it can work on bigger items, but when you are talking about daily transactions it's just builds a bad relationship between tax payer and gov't.

 

Agree with the tax part.

[NorthSideSox72]

The differences in property taxes, in the Chicago area and nationally, are amazing. My examples...

 

My condo in Bucktown (which I sold a couple years ago), I paid around $4,000 a year at the top, but sometimes it was down closer to $3,000.

 

House in Northbrook (Cook County)? $10,000+ each year. Ouch. But as others have said, you get what you pay for. We have some of the best schools around, it's safe, the village is financially very healthy, etc.

 

I've owned to pieces of unimproved, rural real estate. We used to have about 6.8 acres in SW Wisconsin, in the driftless area. Most of the land was steep so only a small part was buildable. That was $800 a year in property taxes, which seemed like a lot for 6.8 acres of trees and grass. Wisconsin has a separate real estate type for "recreational land", which is basically their way of charging more for the Chicago and Milwaukee folks who have other properties. We sold it a few years ago.

 

We still own a chunk of land in New Mexico. Same sort of deal in that it's rural, only semi-buildable. But it's 24 acres instead of less than 7, and the views are utterly spectacular - it's on the nose of a ridge and you can see mountains that are literally 50 miles away. Also has a seasonal creek running through part of it. Property tax there? $120 a year. I honestly don't know how that county (Catron) survives.

 

[Jake]

I don't know how someone could have a 10% state and local tax rate living in Chicago unless you don't ever have to buy anything. It's at least 10% every time you open your wallet.

 

I don't know about Chicago, but most municipalities have a much lower or sometimes non-existent sales tax on foods. The poor will tend to spend more of their money on those things.

[southsider2k5]

I don't know about Chicago, but most municipalities have a much lower or sometimes non-existent sales tax on foods. The poor will tend to spend more of their money on those things.

 

Indiana has zero tax on groceries, fresh food, and medicine. It always amazed me that places tax those things.

[Panerista]

Isn't it fairly obvious that there is no one industry that can take down Chicago like the automotive industry took down Detroit?

 

Chicago is nothing like Detroit.