Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Il Palazzo]

*Tested in Missouri, England and Poland.

How the hell would you test that in Missouri? I know that we're both polish, and that it's highly plausible to get a job in England, but Missouri?

Yeah, well. Some 8-ish years ago, I went to the US of A thanks to the "Work & Travel" program for students. Just let me tell you, it's not a good way of actually earning money, as the combined costs of going there will at best be covered by what you can save working full time for the minimal wage over the summer break.

[mainiac]

I don't pay any taxes right now, except a few dollars a month to the fair state of North Dakota. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that I'm a US Federal employee, I'd be taxed by the Federal Government if I wasn't deployed.

North Dakota has no sales tax?  No property tax?  Economists broadly agree that property taxes lead to increased cost of renting.  You don't have social security and medicare taxes deducted from your paychecks?

I could readily believe that you pay no income taxes or no net taxes at the federal level.  But unless you are low income and married with children, I very much doubt that you have no tax burden.  If you are living paycheck to paycheck, your tax burden from sales tax and property tax alone probably account for about 5-10% of your income.  Worker payroll taxes would account for another 7.5% but most economists would agree that employer payroll taxes are passed along to the workers through lower wages, so that's another 15%.

[Heron TSG]

Strife26 is an American soldier currently deployed overseas. He doesn't need to buy things in North Dakota, and IIRC shops on military bases are exempt from sales taxation.

[mainiac]

That would explain it.

Even so, presumably he saves up money while overseas and that income will be subject to sales and property taxes as normal when he spends most of it domestically.  So even if he isn't paying taxes right now the income that he is earning will be taxed, even if substantially less then most income.

[Strife26]

Well, the PX is still sales tax free in the states, and if I live on base (heh, *if* isn't actually right here, single E3 means I *will* be living on base) I won't pay property taxes, even if I won't pocket my Basic Allowance for housing any more. Once I'm back, I will have to pay Federal taxes, and ND will continue to take whatever tiny amount it takes every month.

[mainiac]

I didn't know there was a PX in the states.  Do you do most of your shopping there?

[Montague]

The commissaries and the PX are nominally tax-free, but the PX/ commissary purchases its products from distributors who do in fact pay taxes. So cigarettes, gas, alcohol and some other goods are about the same prices on base as out on the civilian economy. Except for overseas bases, where things like that cannot be taxed, its lower then prices at an airport duty-free store.

Other then that, the prices at the PX and commissaries are comparable to Wal-mart.

State income taxes suck, Strife, you might want to consider applying for residency in whatever state you are stationed in if it doesn't have state income taxes, while you are in the military at least. Texas, maybe.

As for military pay, If I had to do it over as a soldier, I'd get married asap. You can move out of the damn workplace barracks and basically double your income with all the nice tax-free BAS/ BAH/ COLA/ FSP entitlements the military will throw at you. If the Army didn't want you to get married, they would not offer such lucrative incentives for doing so and not shit on you so much for staying single.