4 ms·

i was born and grew up in Texas, moved away 25 years ago and still have a couple of Texas quirks. I simply cannot live in a state that has an income tax, and I

• arbuge 10y ago
  The lack of an income tax is great although one should note that property taxes in TX are considerably higher than average. Around 2.5%+ or so. To optimize one's tax situation in Texas, the ideal situation is to live in a cheap condo/house and make a high income.
  • davidw 10y ago
    > To optimize one's tax situation in Texas, the ideal situation is to live in a cheap condo/house and make a high income. That's not entirely a bad thing as it's environmentally friendly. It probably means that a higher portion of taxes are paid by the relatively less well-off, but if that suits them, so be it.
    • mikeyouse 10y ago
      Yep.. Texas is frequently last or near-last on the progressiveness of their state tax scheme. The poor pay much more tax in Texas than they would in most other states due to the reliance on sales and property taxes for revenue. Having done business there as well, it seems like a sport to aggressively minimize property taxes by claiming 'ag' exemptions for having some cows graze your property a few days per week. Obviously used by the rich more than the poor. It's clearly their prerogative how to run their state but it left a bad feeling in my mouth.