Huge Victory for California

As many know, a heated battle has been raging for several years now between California, New York, & New Jersey for the coveted title of worst Berkley’n state in the country to live in. Until now, there’s been no clear winner as the experience depended on your personal situation. For example, if you’re into having a nice home, New Jersey would do the best job of torturing you with its outrageous property taxes. Anyway, the political leaders of California were well aware of this ambiguity and decided to settle the score once and for all.

Effective November 1st, 2009 all California state income tax withholdings have been increased 10%. Although the rate hasn’t formally been increased yet, the strategy is pretty obvious…first, find a way to get your hands on the money then find a way to not give it back which is relatively straight forward, just issue IOU’s that never get funded.

If you’re thinking Californians can just reduce their withholdings to offset the hit, think again. I wound up owing a minuscule amount a few years ago, something like $250, and the California franchise tax board used the opportunity to demand that I start paying quarterly which I didn’t do as I’m one of those antiquated throw backs that actually works hard at his job leaving little time for other stuff. Anyway, I wound up having to pay a penalty for non compliance that was about twenty times more than the interest the state missed out on.

I know several people that got the exact same shake down so this is just a matter of disparate times driving disparate measures and it can only get worse as nothing is being done to resolve the root causes of our problems….tons of illegal aliens burdening our education, judicial, & healthcare systems…way too many government employees making way too much money…way too much restriction on commerce abstemiously to help the environment or the kids but really just to siphon money from the system into the pockets of select individuals…etc, etc, etc.

We raised our state sales tax rate on April 1st by 10% to 12% depending on the county…the range is now 8.75% to 10.25% and we nearly doubled our vehicle license fee back in May.

I was born and raised in California...my family, friends, home, & job are all here so moving would be a very costly undertaking both in a tangible and intangible sense but I really don't know how much more of this I can take.

If times were tough due to some sort of natural disaster, I’d have no problem rising to the occasion and giving 100% to resolve the problems but all of our suffering is totally intentional…it’s all the result of greedy, selfish people just trashing my state for personnel, short term gains.

I don't know what else to say...it's totally, totally unbelievable here.

If everyone leaves, the taxes will eventually fall as the state government collapses and then you can move back.

You can start it!

And people around here are astounded that a friend of mine living in San Francisco makes $80k and doesn't have that much disposable income.

There is a reason residents are fleeing those states, further reducing the tax base. California, New Jersey and New York are following the DC game-plan, except the states cannot print money.

Not that increasing the money supply, devaluing the dollar and prompting double-digit inflation rates is a good idea.

FYI...

Last year, California lost 144,000 more people than it gained.

California Exodus

That's funny. Look at the Michigan Exodus, then compare starting census number to ending census numbers.

Michigan has the highest exodus percentage per capita.

Hey, those tax increases are temporary!!

New York has a similar problem:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/tax_refugees_staging_escape_from_qb4pItQ71UXIc0i6cd3UpK

RX Reven' wrote: FYI... Last year, California lost 144,000 more people than it gained. California Exodus

It's been occurring in New York:

http://www.empirecenter.org/pb/2009/10/empirestateexodus102709.cfm

And New Jersey:

http://blog.nj.com/statattack/2007/10/new_jerseys_exodus_will_cost_m.html

Here's an insightful commentary from Forbes on the blue-state exodus:

http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/02/blue-state-middle-class-exodus-opinions-columnists-joel-kotkin.html

Half the people in Arkansas are from Texas. The other half are from California.

RX Reven' wrote: FYI... Last year, California lost 144,000 more people than it gained. California Exodus

Even more scary is that number is offset by the legal/illegal immigration and birth rate. I would if I could move somewhere in the midwest if my job would allow it.

Dr. Hess wrote: Half the people in Arkansas are from Texas. The other half are from California.

3/4 of the people here in Florida are from the northeast, myself included (albeit 30 years ago).

I grew up around L.A., then lived in Texas for 18 years. While I still like Texas for the friendly people (except on the Dallas freeways,) that state, too, has gone nutsy on the taxes and "fees." Nothing like the PRC, though. That whole state has just gone off the deep end, awaiting The Big One. My parents still live there. I told them to sell out and move 2 years ago, as I saw the peak but they're "old school" and "old school" was "move to California" as the Golden State. Dad is from Michigan, originally.

Yet I see people still keep moving out here. I see a ton of out of state license plates on my commute to work.

Personally, I too have had it with the state but I can't seem to find another state like CA. The weather, the ocean, the desert, the hills, large job market, the melting pot of the cultures, it's all here.

If you guys have any suggestions I'm all ears.

EDIT: As was pointed out previously the tax hike is temporary and you're supposed to get your money back. In theory anyway.

RX Reven' wrote: FYI... Last year, California lost 144,000 more people than it gained. California Exodus

California will be losing me no later than 1 January 2011. If only a move were a feasible proposition this instant.

RussellH wrote: Personally, I too have had it with the state but I can't seem to find another state like CA. The weather, the ocean, the desert, the hills, large job market, the melting pot of the cultures, it's all here.

Italics added by me.

Where in California is this "large job market" you speak of? There ain't E36 M3 for jobs here in Fresno.

Dr. Hess wrote: Dad is from Michigan, originally.

That explains a lot about YOU!

Everything I ever said about you, I REALLY mean it now!

I don't mind NY that much, you just have to stay upstate.

RussellH wrote: EDIT: As was pointed out previously the tax hike is temporary and you're supposed to get your money back. In theory anyway.

If you believe that, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn and prime real estate 30 miles east of Miami for sale.

Yeah, between the emissions laws (I'm all for emissions - but when I'd be a "gross polluter" because I installed something that REDUCED my overall emissions?), the tax hike, the gun laws, the cost of living, and the people, I'm looking to move to Nevada (assuming I can find work there).

The E36 M3 rolls downhill from CA to the rest of the country. I suppose we'll hit rock bottom in a decade and then the nouvelle povres will get all indignant and start coming up with a new governmental-social-economic system to restore their entitled selves to catbird seat and remind the old poor that they're still poor. I predict Berkeley will be ground zero for what I'll call the Brown Movement.

This current unpleasantness is just 'bating compared to the real fireworks that will occur when the spanish speaking majority and the land owners in China attempt to reinact the american revolution in 25 years. Yes, my hat is made of ferl.

I made the Michigan Exodus. I am glad I did, that state is berkeleyed.

this is a major part of the reason i escaped from NY in Y2K... when your earning better than the national average and still cant afford a better night out than Bennigans once in awhile, its time to move on... I refused to feed the tax man steak while i was eating beans anymore...

I earn less in Florida, but with no state tax, lower real property taxes, lower overall cost of living, my dollars go allot further. For awhile i was even down right comfortable. Id never be able to afford an equivalent house in ny, which is scary because my home here is small and basic, but it sure beats renting. I have a better standard of living despite making less, and most of the time the weather is much better.

In reply to 924guy:

why do people conspire to lure me to florida...

neon4891 wrote: In reply to 924guy: why do people conspire to lure me to florida...

because if its not happening in Germany its happening in Florida.

Dr. Hess wrote: Half the people in Arkansas are from Texas. The other half are from California.

Half are welcome

California even does their share to keep people there. If you retire while working in CA, you will owe CA state income tax no matter where you move to. Their philosophy is you earned the retirement income while working in CA so therefore you owe income tax on it, even if you move out of state.

I grew up in CA and my mom and 2 sisters still live in CA. The military took me out of there, retired from the military and living in AL now. Haven't been back for a while. Although I have a business trip to Fresno next month and want to go back next summer to visit family.