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Pete C.

Janet wrote:
>
> In article . com>,
> says...
> >
> > Janet wrote:
> > >
> > > In article . com>,
> > > says...
> > > >
> > > > Janet wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > > <sigh> In Britain, local services (like rubbish disposal) are organised
> > > > > > > > > by (very) local elected councils and paid for by local taxation direct to
> > > > > > > > > them.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Indeed, much as it is in the US city that I am outside the limits of. I
> > > > > > > > don't pay their taxes.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > You have no clue what my local taxes are,
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Only that they are far more than I pay.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > I wouldn't know; I don't know what you pay.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > As far as state / local taxes go, $2,431.92 property tax which is
> > > > > > primarily for the local schools.
> > > > >
> > > > > Does that include garbage disposal?
> > > > >
> > > > > My local property tax is less than $3000 US dollars.
> > > >
> > > > For what size / type property? I've got 4 acres here with a 2,000 sf
> > > > house and 1,200 sf separate shop building, nice sides pond, etc.
> > > >
> > > > > That provides
> > > > > unlimited water, garbage disposal,
> > > >
> > > > Water and garbage are separate private services here. The water is a
> > > > co-op and provides much better water quality than that in the city. For
> > > > the garbage collection I have a choice of several different competitive
> > > > private companies to choose from. The two add up to around $500/year,
> > > > and of course I am in control of that and can change / adjust whatever I
> > > > want.
> > >
> > > So, add that to your property tax, and you and I pay virtually the same.
> > > Tax banding here is linked to property value and mine is one below the
> > > top. If I lived in a bottom band property I'd pay about one third the tax
> > > for exactly the same services.
> >
> > So what exactly do you have for property? We don't pay the same if we
> > have significantly different properties.
>
> Eh? The figure is the same.

The figure may be the same, but if the properties are quite dissimilar
we are not paying the same.

>
> > > > > dozens of other local services I use frequently such as superb library
> > > > > services
> > > >
> > > > Libraries, like newspapers are rapidly becoming obsolete in the Internet
> > > > age. A great deal of what you might get from a library can be found for
> > > > free on the 'net,
> > >
> > > That might be true if our libraries here only lent books, but their
> > > services are wider than that.
> >
> > Such as?
>
> Music/films games, a free internet service, access to stock in all
> Scottish libraries and an enormous national history archive of documents
> and photographs,a huge range of teaching and researh material for schools
> and adults,a genealogy search service. Reading and literry-activity groups
> (for all ages).

Same for pretty much all libraries in the US.

>
> > >
> > > Yep, stuff like "who sprayed a rude word on the car park wall". The
> > > fearless investigators solved that crime about 20 mins later by going to
> > > the nearby hardware shop and asking the owner who had just bought a can of
> > > dayglo pink paint.
> >
> > What, they didn't catch the whole thing on one of those big brother spy
> > cams?
>
> Sorry to disappoint but we only have two spy cams here. One is in an
> bird's nest and the other is trained on the ferry harbour and fed to the
> internet for tourists

Lucky you. Many of your fellow subjects aren't so lucky.

> > > Mine was in a city.
> >
> > When you have 4 acres of land, you don't need a community garden.
>
> I know :-) My last property had four acres.

My other property has 65+.