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At least Internet/communications seems to increasingly have other options but some other largely essential utilities often don't.
by ghaff 1y ago
At least Internet/communications seems to increasingly have other options but some other largely essential utilities often don't.
- CodingJeebus 1y agoAnd sometimes, the private water company that services the county absolutely gouges customers because they're private and can get away with it. I saw this in Texas, where a guy I knew bought a house just outside the city limits to avoid taxes and then his water bill tripled compared to when he was on city water.
- ghaff 1y agoI'm not sure that, where I live, there's a lot of property outside of town/city limits. My water is about $200/year but I use very little outside water.
- jimnotgym 1y agoIn the UK, because we are the kind of communist nightmare that terrifies the USA, there is no place outside the city that pays no property tax. Problem solved
- ghaff 1y agoWhile there are unincorporated areas in the US, I'm not sure no property taxes are a given even in those areas. I live in an incorporated town and definitely pay property taxes and get a variety of town services but do need to handle my own sewer and trash (though I get water and electricity along with fire/police/etc. services as well as public schools as relevant). In fact, I'm not sure the degree to which just bowing out of public schooling is even allowed given that I think that's over half of my town's budget.
- nemomarx 1y agoIf you don't buy in bulk you'll spend more. Isn't that just markets?
- CodingJeebus 1y agoIf you have captive customers and a product with relatively inelastic pricing and no competition, you can basically do whatever you want. That's also just markets
- shadowpho 1y ago>because they're private and can get away with it. Also because it’s highest cost due to less populated area
- darth_avocado 1y agoThey are available, just not at the price point a lot of off the grid folks want to pay.
- rbanffy 1y agoAnd the article mentions well sharing is illegal, so pooling resources to dig a single well is not possible. Why is well sharing illegal?