Real Estate/Property Tax

[Stephen]

Just got our real estate tax bill in the post today for our villa in Orlando, the bill was for $4691

In 2004 the bill was $3069
In 2005 was $3629 and 2006 $4691 it's getting more and more expensive each year...

I have a friend with a 3 bed apt in spain and he say's his property tax is about £150 a year...

Just wondering how much property tax is in other European countries.

[Ciapolin]

For our house and three apartments we pay no more than €200 per year.

It's very cheap, but then we don't have many of the services people tend to take for granted - rubbish collection, street lighting, tarmac road, mains gas etc.

Mind you we get hit harder than other countries on baic taxes.

[Fraise]

I haven't got the exact amount but think we pay something like £1000 for each house,which is still cheaper than UK but not the tiddly amount you sometimes hear about! The houses are not in a town,one is in a tiny hamlet of just 3 other houses.

www.thepetitmanoir.com

[debk]

Our 3-bedroom home in the center of Lisbon is still stuck in some pre-1900 tax scheme... so we pay €11.29 per year in taxes. Just had to share!
debk
ps-We are hit with a 21% VAT on most every purchase, movement or thought.

[Fraise]

[quote="debk"]Our 3-bedroom home in the center of Lisbon is still stuck in some pre-1900 tax scheme... so we pay €11.29 per year in taxes. Just had to share!
debk
Grrrr....funny how you can go off some people?

[Stephen]

Heres a breakdown of where our money goes.

Taxing Authority
County of Osceloa $1,625.11
Emergency Medial Services $177.35
Osceola School-State Law $1,361.46
School disrectionary $206.04
Capital Outlay $542.20
water Management Dist $76.99
SFWMD Everglades Cont $27.11
SFWMD OKEE $84.85
Save Osceola $67.78
Osceloa School-voted Debt Serv

County of Osceola library $135.55

Levying Authority
Household Chemical Waste $4.00
IRO SD(Home Owners Association) $240.00
F/R Short Term Rental $146.70
Univ Solid Waste $191.51


I don't send my kids to school, I don't use the library

[Fraise]

Ours don't include water and sewage ,that's a sep bill.

[Stephen]

Hi Fraise
Ours don't include water bills either !! we pay monthly which varies depending on how much we use, It's not cheap either.

[A-two]

OK, I'll play this game.

2005 taxes $7,724.00.
2006 taxes $8,106.00.

School: $5,337.73
Library: $177.56
Fire Department: $386.00

I won't go into small charges that add up the rest, but I see now there's $156.00 for "Waste Water District" and "Solid Waste District", ???? (There's no municipal sewer in the district, we're all on septic tanks.)

Trash removal: $0, (there isn't any of that either, each to their own) . Add $450.00 a year for a private contractor to pick up garbage for guests, plus purchase of special trash bags sold by the Town for $2.65 cents each, say another $500.00 a year. That includes water supply maybe? Nope, not even.

Total inc. trash removal: $9.056.00 ex. water.

Put another way, we rented for roughly 23 weeks this year, which represents $394.00 per guest on tax overhead alone, before we give them any water, heat, light and everything else.

Did I win?????

Also, FWIW, that level of taxes is not exceptional, about normal for a 1600 sq ft. house, or a little on the low side because it's an older house. Taxes are reassessed (and go up even more) everytime the house is improved, inside and out. This would include even a bathroom renovation, new floor and tiles etc., Add a conservatory or screened in porch and you can look forward to an extra $2,000 a year on your tax bill.

I used to think Americans had it cheap, given the price of food and gas/ petrol, cars and electronics etc., but I never realize they are getting killed on property taxes and insurances, which are very high. With the minimum wage here only just over $5.00 an hour, most people have two jobs, even three jobs, just to make ends meet, including those with young children to raise. It's also why a lot of people are relocating to the Carolinas, where the taxes are something like $300.00 a year.

I do use the library though......

Best,

[debk]

Put another way, we rented for roughly 23 weeks this year, which represents $394.00 per guest on tax overhead alone, before we give them any water, heat, light and everything else.

debk

[Mountain Goat]

Joanna

Really interesting, thanks.

....which represents $394.00 per guest on tax overhead alone

Put another way, that's $394 per rental week tax overhead, not strictly per guest or am I being dumb?

MG

[A-two]

Put another way, that's $394 per rental week tax overhead, not strictly per guest or am I being dumb?MG

No, you're not being dumb. The original figure was based on 23 rentals = $394 per guest tax overhead, but not everyone books for a week, some may be 10 days, 2 weeks, whatever, so this is probably a more useful way of putting it: -

46% occupancy = 169 days = $54 per day property tax overhead (inc. trash removal expenses paid to private contractor).

But as you can see, the bulk of the tax levied on me for this property goes to the school. It currently costs $18,000 p.a. to put a child through High School here, so my contribution, high as it is, still only covers 29% of the cost of one child's education, yet it's a 3 bedroom house. So if it were occupied year round as opposed to a vacation rental, it could easily accomodate 2 or 3 school age children at a cost of $36,000 to $54,000 p.a., and the occupants would only be paying 10%-14% of that cost. The balance would be made up by others in the community who have no school age children at all, which explains why Stephen is paying the level of taxes he is. Each community supports its own rather than passing it off to the State, and they do so largely without complaint, working two jobs if necessary........that's America for you....

I'm not justifying the tax, or excusing it, only trying to explain how the system works, and that it was founded with the best of intentions....

[Big Sis..]

do use the library though

The fire dept might prove useful too ...Joanna [hope not though]

[Giddy Goat]

Figuresfiguresfigures! My head is spinning and I'm lost in admiration - the dining table here has been spread with various cheque books, receipts, utilities accounts, and tax stuff for weeks because I can't stand working out these things - I'm still in the dark therefore, as to whether we made any profit this year. I think I'm partly putting off the evil day because I'm not quite sure I want to know the answer!

I need a resident Joanna. Fancy some Christmas shopping in Cambridge Joanna? I'd be happy to help you spend some of your earnings, if there are any left after tax?

[Stephen]

2005 taxes $7,724.00.
2006 taxes $8,106.00.

Hi Joanna


2004 Our villa was assessed at $165,100 and the bill was $3069

2005 $195,000, and the bill was $3629

2006 $271,100 and the bill is $4691
could my house really have went up by $76100 in one year !! when most people in the area are saying house prices actually dropped..


I might start using the library though are they free to use.