It’s tax time again. While we pay taxes all year without knowing, with April 15th quickly approaching, tax time makes us realize how much we pay in taxes. Unlike many of my fellow citizens, I understand why we pay taxes and accept them as a part of life. It doesn’t mean I like it, but I don’t like going to the doctor and getting shots either, but if I want to live a little longer, it’s a necessary evil, and they give you a lollipop if you’re a brave little man while getting stuck with the needle. I know my age, but free candy is free candy. Now, if my tax preparer would give me a treat after presenting what I have to pay this year, it would soften the blow. This begs the question, am I allowed to deduct all the dental care I’ll need due to all these treats?
Many of my friends out here constantly complain about California’s high taxes. They keep telling me that Californians are the highest-taxed people in the nation. It does seem like it. If you look at our gas prices and realize how much of it is taxes, you might believe that to be true. After spending hours researching this claim (many of those hours were me dozing off in my chair in front of the computer), California is the fifth-highest taxed population. Being in the top ten of this list is not necessarily something to brag about; it at least gives us Californians someone else to feel sorry for. Ah, those poor folks in New York, Connecticut, Hawaii, and Vermont. We’ll keep them in our prayers. You folks in New Jersey, Illinois, Virginia, Delaware, and Maine are not far behind, so don’t start getting smug. And by the way, for all you people claiming that California has the highest gas prices in the country, that is inaccurate. Hawaii and any gas station at the border that neighbors the Golden State have much higher gas prices than here on the left coast. I once was forced to buy gas at Whiskey Petes in Prime, Nevada, and paid north of $6.50 a gallon for the liquid gold. That’s how Nevada gets all those winnings back from the Californians who keep their casinos afloat. They at least could put a handle on the side of the gas pump for the customer to pull when pumping gas. It would soften the blow of how much money is lost paying outrageous prices for the losers buying petrol on their way home. At least all those losses can become a tax deduction.
We are now in a Presidential election year, and there is a lot of demand for lower taxes. What is misleading is that those proposed tax cuts would be for the people with the most money. It has gotten to the point where the burden of paying the bills in this country is dumped on the middle and lower classes. At one time, the wealthiest folks in this country paid about 90% of their income in taxes. That has changed drastically. Now, the wealthiest folks pay just a touch above what us struggling average taxpayers pay. Whether that is fair is not for me to determine, but the more politicians cut taxes for their wealthy donors, the higher the deficit becomes, and the burden increases on all taxpayers. We poorer taxpayers were promised that giving their wealthy donors significant tax cuts would trickle down to us minions. We’ve been waiting for over forty years. I am also still waiting for that rich Nigerian guy who keeps sending me emails about how I could help him move his fortune out of the country and earn millions. That hasn’t happened yet. Maybe the money is coming in the flying car I have been waiting for.
While I have people from other states tell me how nice it is that they don’t pay as much in taxes as we Californians do, I can find comfort in the fact that they do pay more taxes than they realize, but in a different way. While they point at our high-income or gas tax, I remind them we have Prop 13 for our property tax. This means our property tax is fixed based on what we purchased our homes for. In many states, property tax fluctuates based on how the state values your property. Some states just decided to reassess your property, determine it is worth more than last year, and slap the homeowner with a much higher property tax bill. My son, who lives in Wisconsin, turned his unfinished basement into a recreation room with a bathroom and was greeted with a hike in his property tax. Maybe that Nigerian prince can help him earn extra cash to buy that pool table he wants. Or he could be satisfied with the fact his gas tax is lower than mine.
I realize the cost of living in California is not cheap. We also have the largest state population in the country, a vast and varied state that requires particular upkeep and roads galore. All this costs money. I like living out here, and fortunately, since I was able to get into the housing market at a young age, I can afford a home here. For today’s young people, it has almost become impossible. A starter home can cost up to half a million dollars, and the place is a dump…but a dump with a beautiful view of the mountains or maybe the ocean.
Many friends have fled California, and I say, “More power to them.”
I moved here from the Midwest, and I love it. This state is one of the most beautiful spots in the country. My wife calls me the eternal tourist. I get a kick from seeing places and people that have been on my television or in the movies.
It’s time to see my tax preparer. Maybe you can help me. Are an autograph book and the Sharpies tax deductible? I’m just asking for a friend.
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