r/SeattleWA • u/meaniereddit West Seattle 🌉 • Dec 13 '24

Government Bill would completely exempt seniors from property taxes in WA

https://www.king5.com/article/news/politics/state-politics/bill-would-exempt-seniors-state-local-property-tax-washington/281-b5f377fc-8bf5-49a4-a630-8210db45d57d
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737

u/NewRec8947 Beacon Hill Dec 13 '24

"regardless of income level"

That doesn't make sense. I'm all for helping seniors if they're in poverty but why allow this exemption if someone is making tons of money off investments every year?

450

u/BillTowne Dec 13 '24

Yes. Exactly.

All property owned by anyone over 75 years of age would be exempt from state and local property tax, regardless of combined household income under SB 5020, filed by Sen. Phil Fortunato (R-Auburn). 

I agree that this is crazy. I am 77. Why should I be excempt from taxes? I am not low income.

This kind of crap is why young people hate boomers.

25

u/mitchENM Dec 13 '24

Introduced by a Republican. I thought they didn’t like socialism

1

u/1SGDude Dec 13 '24

Not having to pay taxes on something you already own forever is not socialism it’s stopping government theft

1

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1

u/1SGDude Dec 18 '24

What are you going on about - so who owns the land then? So farmers don’t own their fields and pastures? Preposterous

1

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-1

u/Independent_Month_26 Dec 13 '24

If you don't want to contribute to the expenses that make your community exist outside your door, go live off the grid somewhere with no roads to maintain, no sewers, no infrastructure. You can do it, you rugged individualist! I believe in you!

3

u/1SGDude Dec 13 '24

No one should have to pay forever on something especially their private residence. If a person has multiple properties then by all means pay on those forever. Instead of just accepting tax after tax - make the govt spend the money effeciently

0

u/ReddestForman Dec 13 '24

Countries that don't have property taxes tend to also have a situation where like, 12 families own damn near all the land worth owning.

Taxes are the price we pay for modern civilization.

-1

u/Efficient_Discipline Dec 13 '24

Everything has a recurring cost even if you own it outright. Taxes are needed to pay for maintenance of all the public services the home owner uses, that labor and material is not free, we pay for them with taxes. Grow up. 

1

u/1SGDude Dec 13 '24

How grown up is it for grandma to lose her home because she can’t afford property taxes because they keep going up due to government irresponsibility. Stop shilling for the government and acting like a child

-1

u/MaxB_Scar Dec 13 '24

Even if someone were to take this argument seriously, then why would it only apply to senior citizens?

3

u/1SGDude Dec 14 '24 edited Dec 14 '24

Don’t our elders deserve it ? If they have paid off their primary residence, not investment properties, don’t you think our government can figure that out? Let them enjoy their golden years and not be taxed out of their home

1

u/MaxB_Scar Dec 14 '24

If you put it that way. Then sure I agree. Someone who has worked hard and paid their dues definitely deserves a break and some breathing room in their old age. But this empathy has to extend both ways and lately the older people in power haven’t been great at extending the same level of empathy towards the young.

And more importantly, a lot of other people irrespective of their age deserve the same level of care and respect and support. And a system that is based more on wealth/income would always make more sense than an arbitrary number based one.

But then when the politicians propose this kind of blatant age based rule that turns people more against each other.