[bgill]

The cost of living has been rising faster than paychecks have

One thing that is out of control is my ol' soapbox, property tax. It legally rises 10% each year. Our income has never risen 10% in any year. No eating out, no movies, not even Walmart clearance clothes since 2010 and the last vacation was 2010 but that was more of a have to thing. All for squeezing every dime for the taxes. Thanks to the CA invasion sending home prices skyrocketing.

[Sequoyah101]

It is even worse than that. Sales tax has not only gone up in lock step with inflation it has also gone up by 300% in real inflation adjusted dollars.

Back in the day it was 3% and now it is mostly 3X higher. The other day we shopped in a nearby town where the sales tax is 11.4%. That is nearly 4X the 3% we paid when I was a kid.