US equivalent of road tax
Discussion
Got my annual bill through for US "Property Tax" on my car. The City I am in charge $.0265 per $1000 of car value, so for a 2007 BMW 335i that they value at $20,000 I have to pay $530! Each and every year!
Now, you might say "What are you complaining about, road tax is a few hundred quid a year now", but bear in mind its based on value so if you were to buy something like a new R8 or 911 you would easily see tax bills of $4,000+ per annum! Who says US motoring is cheap??
Houses are as bad. A property worth $500,000 where I live would generate tax bills of $9,000 per annum based on the rate of $.017 applied to houses.
Ah, the American Dream.
I want to come back to the UK... Road Tax & Council Tax, all is forgiven!
Now, you might say "What are you complaining about, road tax is a few hundred quid a year now", but bear in mind its based on value so if you were to buy something like a new R8 or 911 you would easily see tax bills of $4,000+ per annum! Who says US motoring is cheap??
Houses are as bad. A property worth $500,000 where I live would generate tax bills of $9,000 per annum based on the rate of $.017 applied to houses.
Ah, the American Dream.
I want to come back to the UK... Road Tax & Council Tax, all is forgiven!
EK993 said:
Got my annual bill through for US "Property Tax" on my car. The City I am in charge $.0265 per $1000 of car value, so for a 2007 BMW 335i that they value at $20,000 I have to pay $530! Each and every year!
Now, you might say "What are you complaining about, road tax is a few hundred quid a year now", but bear in mind its based on value so if you were to buy something like a new R8 or 911 you would easily see tax bills of $4,000+ per annum! Who says US motoring is cheap??
Houses are as bad. A property worth $500,000 where I live would generate tax bills of $9,000 per annum based on the rate of $.017 applied to houses.
Ah, the American Dream.
I want to come back to the UK... Road Tax & Council Tax, all is forgiven!
You aren't an accountant are youNow, you might say "What are you complaining about, road tax is a few hundred quid a year now", but bear in mind its based on value so if you were to buy something like a new R8 or 911 you would easily see tax bills of $4,000+ per annum! Who says US motoring is cheap??
Houses are as bad. A property worth $500,000 where I live would generate tax bills of $9,000 per annum based on the rate of $.017 applied to houses.
Ah, the American Dream.
I want to come back to the UK... Road Tax & Council Tax, all is forgiven!
so $20,000 car takes at $0.0265 per $1,000
Yeah that's $530 not $0.53 is it
EK993 said:
Got my annual bill through for US "Property Tax" on my car. The City I am in charge $.0265 per $1000 of car value, so for a 2007 BMW 335i that they value at $20,000 I have to pay $530! Each and every year!
Do cars in the US not depreciate?2.65 cents /$1k gives an annual bill of 53 cents. I really wouldn't mind that TBH
B'stard Child said:
Still not sympathetic - sorry
Well, I wasn't really looking for sympathy to be honest. Maybe that's the way it came across, but its not the response I am looking for. My post was really to give some insight into motoring here (and generally taxes) as there is a general thinking in the UK that living in (and particularly motoring) in the US is so much cheaper than the UK - which it isn't once you take into account a lot of hidden, non headline taxes and charges. Certainly where I live it evens itself out to a large degree.EK993 said:
B'stard Child said:
Still not sympathetic - sorry
Well, I wasn't really looking for sympathy to be honest. Maybe that's the way it came across, but its not the response I am looking for. My post was really to give some insight into motoring here (and generally taxes) as there is a general thinking in the UK that living in (and particularly motoring) in the US is so much cheaper than the UK - which it isn't once you take into account a lot of hidden, non headline taxes and charges. Certainly where I live it evens itself out to a large degree.Now if you broke down your total UK living expenses v the US ones - then I'd be interested
B'stard Child said:
Now if you broke down your total UK living expenses v the US ones - then I'd be interested
I have only been here a year so far. Overall I would say my tax burden is the same, although the cost of living is probably cheaper when you take into account food shopping, clothes etc. Gas (Petrol) - yes its cheaper, but because you have to drive everywhere here and distances are usually a lot longer for the average trip you end up doing a lot of mileage - 20,000 miles per year is normal here, quite often its more so you end up using a lot more of that $3 - $4 gas. Swings and roundabouts.
Things like electricity can work out very expensive. Its very hot in the summer, and cold in the winter - they don't have central heating here, so you end up using "forced air" systems pumping out AC in the Summer and heat in the Winter - all running off electricity so that's usually a few hundred $ per month all year round.
I am renting here, however I feel if I were to buy a property in the State I currently live in I would be in a far worse position than I would have been in the UK. I just don't see how people afford $10,000 a year tax on their houses plus the mortgage payments, maintenance costs etc.
The biggest scare is healthcare. I have recently had to see a doctor on 2 occassions and required some hospital blood tests etc. Whilst my employer provides a good healthcare policy (co-pay) you end up footing a chunk of it and I have received a couple of big bills in the post.
Maybe that's why the US is $14 trillion in debt.
You boys have it easy.
I'll gladly swap your woes for our £1.38/$2.21 a litre and £905/$1,455 for annual car registration tax. On top of that virtually nowhere to park your car without paying a small fortune. Handing over £110 every two days to fill the tank certainly isn't one of my favourite tasks.
Enjoy the good life while you can I say
I'll gladly swap your woes for our £1.38/$2.21 a litre and £905/$1,455 for annual car registration tax. On top of that virtually nowhere to park your car without paying a small fortune. Handing over £110 every two days to fill the tank certainly isn't one of my favourite tasks.
Enjoy the good life while you can I say
You're on a no-win with this one Eric. GTFO of CT, is the answer on tagging the car. As per Motorrad, mine cost $72 and $60 respectively.
But, my property tax is around $8k pa (and not on a half mill house) and property (hurricane) insurance is a real ball breaker here in FL.
No state taxes here either (yet).
It all varies state by state. When my brother moved from Tampa FL to Indianapolis, re-registering his 997 TT cost him more than $6000 due to the value of the car.
Do we all have our union jacks ready to wave at the neighbors (targets?) on Monday?
But, my property tax is around $8k pa (and not on a half mill house) and property (hurricane) insurance is a real ball breaker here in FL.
No state taxes here either (yet).
It all varies state by state. When my brother moved from Tampa FL to Indianapolis, re-registering his 997 TT cost him more than $6000 due to the value of the car.
Do we all have our union jacks ready to wave at the neighbors (targets?) on Monday?
I lived in the US for 5years and my tax burden was much the same overall........but depending on where you live, house are much cheaper (I lived in Denver and my house was less than half the cost of an equivalent in the UK) and the initial cost of buying cars (in my time) was way cheaper too......
Some things are way more, like property and car 'taxes' and power (my utility bill was more than 4 times what it would have been in the UK)......
Some things are way more, like property and car 'taxes' and power (my utility bill was more than 4 times what it would have been in the UK)......
That was for a 3.5 V6 Infiniti.Matt Harper said:
Do we all have our union jacks ready to wave at the neighbors (targets?) on Monday?
Ha! I did that from the proud flagpole that the DPO had installed at our house in MD, the first year we lived there. One neighbour never spoke to me again.
We did 12 years in the US (CO and MD), and have now been back in the UK for almost 4 years. There's good and bad to both places, but at the end of the day, the result is more or less the same. Over there, you get more choice (in healthcare, education, housing, etc), but also assume a lot more risk in the quality you get. I ran more expensive cars during my time in the US, but other than insurance, I don't think they would have cost me that much more here.
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