andrewducker | Interesting Links for 16-08-2023

We have just had a property tax reassessment here in Germany - not done since 1989.

I do worry about the "nice old lady who bought cheap years ago" problem, because I am not quite old, nor was it quite so cheap, but an area becoming more desirable and / or rising house prices are NOT UNDER MY CONTROL and NOT PREDICTABLE BY ME. So, it seems insanely unfair that any of us could be "priced out" of our home through no fault of our own, or of our own planning, at a time of life with very little room (or energy) to increase income. A bit like the raosing of retirement ages for people already in their 50s and 60s - you simply can't meanihfully adjust investment strategies that late in the day (if you even have enough income for such a luxury).

I am NOT a Tory or anything, Gods forbid - but there is a point that "normal" "higher" income people have already paid higher taxes throughout their working life. I mean people like me, decent earned income but not in the bracket to pay pros to pull clever dodges. I dont like asset taxes, land or property. Service taxes, yeah, progressive income taxes HELL YEAH, even if that means me (which I woudl bloody well hope it does) - but the REAL big "earners" ALWAYS have too much opportunity be "tax-efficient" and wriggle out.

sigh. I dunno what the solution is. I just know I dont like an ever-increasing cost of ownership on stuff I bought decades ago - and I am very much not alone there.

Bugger, if I outlive the cat I will go love on a boat - guaranteed to depreciate mightily!!! :-)

I think there's an argument for letting the extra accumulate until the property is sold/inherited.

I think lots of people would also hate that. :-) Having no kids, I would not care :-)

But I think that I fundamentally (emotionally, see later) object to tax on normal-level personal assets and would instead favour vastly increased taxes on income. I appreciate the huge problem that the rich will always abuse any such system.

The emotional basis of this is ---- that I feel it ought to be possible stop bloody worrying about money at some point and just live, from what you already earned. Especially if this is more than the average for decades. It should be possible. That I have already paid way more taxes than normal should count for something. Dont say investment plans / pensions - they are also a) effort and work over many years and often cant be adjusted easily on the fly when rules change and b) NOT predictable - and ones lifespan certainly is not. if I live to 100 (like members of my family have already done) then that is literally unplannable for, and impossible to make enough "investment", regardless of what in.

sorry for brain dump. you can tell it bugs me.

Interesting Links for 16-08-2023

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