4 ms·

Are taxes lower in the suburbs of most American cities? I thought they'd be higher due to lower densities (more roads, sewer pipes, etc per capita to maintain)

• tsotha 15y ago
  It's a bit more complicated than that. Yes, you need to run the sewer pipes farther, for instance, but the land occupied by utilities is much cheaper, labor is cheaper, and it isn't a major catastrophe if you have to close a suburban street while you're burying the sewer pipe.
• bdunbar 15y ago
  In my experience, yes. But I haven't lived everywhere - a fellow who lives in LA might have a different experience than a guy living in Wisconsin.
• pkteison 15y ago
  Yes, much lower. Property taxes in my suburb are around three quarters compared to the nearby city (Atlanta, GA - millage rate 44.435; Gwinnett, GA - millage rate 32.10). Couple that with the fact that houses are much much cheaper, and in practice I pay ~$2000/year property taxes on my house while my friend pays over $5000/year in property taxes for his condo in the city. Then my mortgage and insurance are also cheaper, and it works out to be much cheaper. But I have to drive more. Part of the reason is more government - cities will tack on their own taxes to pay for the city government. I have no idea what benefit this extra level of government actually provides, though.
  • michaelchisari 15y ago
    I have no idea what benefit this extra level of government actually provides, though. I have public infrastructure (transportation, libraries, etc) in the city of Chicago that the suburbs could only dream of.
    • bdunbar 15y ago
      I don't know the suburbs of Chicago. Where I live we have enough public transportation (bus) and a decent library system. We don't need the massive public infrastructure you have because we're not a Big City.