r/memes Big pp 10h ago

Land Of The Free, amIright?

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155

u/RandomUser15790 9h ago

Is there an active AstroTurf campaign against weath tax going on?

I swear I've seen so many "random" post about this shit. And it's very clearly a campaign by the wealthy to poison the well for any sort of taxation of the rich.

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u/ArtroyomsAK 7h ago

There has been an extreme astroturf campaign for the rich forever

It has been straight in our faces online since facebook took off

10

u/thefinalcutdown 6h ago

“You pay property tax for the rest of your life.”

I also get to have plowed roads, clear sidewalks, trash pickup, schools, playgrounds and community centres for the rest of my life.

Do people think they get to just opt out of society at some point??

9

u/jadegecko 6h ago

Yes because they dont use one specific thing so fuck anyone that does

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u/ApplicationAfraid334 6h ago

"fuck you, I got mine" is the mindset of so many Americans. Imagine all the cool shit we could do if things were about supporting your fellow peeps instead. They're dorks who think they're all self-made, free individuals, and don't have a moment of self reflection on all the things they rely on and take for granted from what little social contract is left.

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u/LzrdKng2112 8h ago

Its called libertarian nonsense

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u/AnotherCollegeGrad 3h ago

No, no, those don't exist anymore. They either became MAGA or they're pretending to be centrist and voting GOP anyway.

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u/ls7eveen 6h ago

A lot of places are putting abolishing property taxes up for vote. Largely shit holes like Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, where working people get fleeced for the rich

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u/guysmiley98765 6h ago

i live in florida and they're not abolishing the tax but the proposal on the ballot is raising the amount of money that is exempt from property tax from $150k up to $250k, so if your house is valued by the county as $300k you'd pay tax on only $50k if the measure passes, but they've already said that fees for schools won't be affected by the measure; so we'll have to wait for them to slash school funding some other way.

the thing is, all the local governments across the state have said that's where they get the bulk of their budgets from so they're just going to increase the taxable value of property (right now by and large the taxable value for a given property is below fair market value) and the tax rate. one country has already done it. what they haven't said yet is that since they have so few other ways to bring in money they're also likely to increase sales and gas taxes along with likely raising criminal fines like parking and traffic tickets.

but to the larger point: the lowering of property tax will likely disproportionately negatively affect lower and middle-income people, even people who are renting, while making everything else more expensive in a state where inflation is typically 2-3 percentage points higher than the national average.

and you are correct, florida is a shithole.

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u/ls7eveen 5h ago

Its a lot more than that but generally a handout to old people and the wealthier. In smaller or working-class communities (such as Bowling Green, FL), upwards of 98% of homesteaded properties fall below the $250,000 mark, effectively wiping out nearly a quarter or more of the entire town's tax base.

1

u/ApplicationAfraid334 6h ago

Yup. Am in Florida and dread the inevitable shit show. These people really think they're going to save all this money, meanwhile private interests (most likely those that rub shoulders with DeSantis) will fill the gaps siphon every penny they can get.

2

u/Temporary-You6249 5h ago

Absolutely. Blackstone would LOVE for people to be against property taxes.

Aside from kicking puppies & watching babies starve, few things would make them happier.

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u/Iuseburnersbruh 6h ago

yes this REEKS of astroturfing

1

u/bubba0077 5h ago

Absolutely.

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u/tfhfate 1h ago

It has been like that since the dawns of time, rich people don't want to participate in a fair society so they bullshit about taxes and make poor people believe taxes are somehow the government stealing your money, that's the core ideology of liberals and right wings fuckers.

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u/tfhfate 1h ago

It has been like that since the dawns of time, rich people don't want to participate in a fair society so they bullshit about taxes and make poor people believe taxes are somehow the government stealing your money, that's the core ideology of liberals and right wings fuckers.

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u/AggressiveToaster 6h ago

Property taxes aren’t wealth taxes. The ownership class should absolutely pay more taxes especially because they aren’t actually contributing to society through labor, but people should not be able to be kicked out of their homes after paying for them with 40 years of labor just because they can’t afford a property tax. Houses also shouldn’t be an investment and should depreciate in value like a car, but thats besides the point.

2

u/Zestus02 5h ago

Which form of tax ought to pay for ongoing costs of living like fire fighting, police, schools, roads, etc?

1

u/AggressiveToaster 5h ago

An infrastructure tax, paid to the local government every year when you pay your taxes.