Another cool thing about the US is, from what I can tell, many times wages are usually higher in places with higher taxes, so perhaps it doesn’t always feel like that big of a difference. And again, tax rate shouldn’t be a determining factor on where you live for most people. Only a little piece of the puzzle. Happiness, cherished memories, familiarity & family are priceless. I rather have a happy wife compared to a lower tax rate any day.
@AKBJR I had to look up the property tax rate for the 2 counties in Texas that you mentioned. They were on the higher end for Texas & Texas has a higher average property tax compared to most states. But I never heard a Texan mariner complain about their taxes. I have a coworker from south Texas who has a 1/3 property tax rate compared to Collins & Dallas counties. Texans are proud folks & that is one of the many things they usually brag about?
I worked with many from Texas. When in another country people would ask where are you from. Everyone but the Texans would say they were from the US, Philippines, Croatia or wherever. The Texans would say they are from Texas. Funny thing is sometimes they were asked,”Where is that? Is it close to the US or Canada?”
I don’t feel like the states at the top here have a lot of federal land other than perhaps New Mexico. Admittedly this isn’t per capita, but look at South Carolina and Minnesota, those states are pretty similar in population but one is definitely a taker and while the other one is a giver to the order of billions of dollars.
My wife, who was raised around here, tells me they had to pledge allegiance to Texas in school. I find it a strange place, though I’ve only resided in this area. I don’t get the pride thing. I’m proud of being a New Orleanian, but it’s a much more interesting and friendly town IMHO.
There’s one thing missing in these ‘taxpayer friendly’ surveys that’s important to many. The quality of the education in the state. I’ve lived in a couple of those low tax states and there did seem to be more than the normal number of morons. Especially in the local ‘gummit’.
This is spot on. Look at test scores and the presence of quality universities, and where taxes are higher you often find better educated children, at least when comparing between public school students, and more robust higher quality public university systems.
