Disclaimer: I am not a member of any political party. I am a registered Independent. I am a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania, but hopefully I will soon be calling another state home. The last list I looked at rated Pennsylvania at number 10 as one of the worst states to live in. I can affirm that it is. As a resident of Pennsylvania, I am being not only taxed to death, but taxed at death too. Let me explain.
Inheritance Tax
Upon your death, Pennsylvania imposes an inheritance tax. As of right now the rates for this tax are 4.5% if your assets are transferred to your offspring, 12% if your assets are transferred to siblings, and 15% if your assets are transferred to other heirs. This includes not just your financial assets, but real estate and automobiles, collectibles, art, in short, just about anything you possessed of value at the time of your passing. What's tragic here is most people don't even know about this tax until they find themselves in a situation where they have to deal with the death of a loved one, especially their parents. And, for good measure, the people at the inheritance tax office are pretty cold about it. There are 10 states out of 50 that charge this tax. We just happen to be living in one of the worst. It came into being in 1971 when the state came close to bankruptcy. Now the state has a healthy surplus. Do you think there is talk of doing away with the inheritance tax? Not a chance! Even the Federal Government doesn't tax your estate until it goes over 12.5 million dollars. Other states have adopted the Federal standard, others have done away with the tax completely, but not Pennsylvania.
When my Dad passed in 2018, I went to the Registrar of Wills and then got directed to the PA Inheritance Tax Office, where I was greeted by a very cold-hearted gentleman who said, as I handed him some paperwork, " I love this tax! It's a cash cow for the state!"
Dad, in death, was a cash cow to Pennsylvania...pretty comforting message...
What a great sympathetic message to someone who just lost a parent. I probably could have complained about this person, but I take comfort in the fact there is a special place in hell for people who are this cold hearted.
Income Tax
Someone from the Pennsylvania government might argue that retirement income is not taxed, but they tax all of your investment income, be it interest, dividend or capital gain. As you earn those dividends, interest and capital gains, you will be making quarterly estimated income tax payments to Pennsylvania, and you better be fairly close because if you're off by a little there are penalties. Then , at your passing, your survivors get hit with the inheritance tax. I don't know about you, but I call this "double taxation".
You can have a good year with invested assets which the formula doesn't take into account, and before you know it, you're writing a check that covers your penalty for underestimating your tax liability. And, oh yeah, when you die you get banged again! Double taxation...pay tax as you accumulate and earn it, and then again when you die. See above. Pretty oppressive, huh?
More Double Taxation
Look at your internet of phone bill. If you have the misfortune of being a Pennsylvania resident, you're paying the 6% sales tax, and then you get banged again with the "PA Gross Receipts Tax Surcharge". Pretty slick, huh?
The Pennsylvania Turnpike
Las year I did a little research on the PA Turnpike. At the time it was just under $12,000,000,000.00 in debt. I thought last month my EZ Pass was recharged a little too quickly, so I looked up the status of the Turnpike debt again. Now it's $13,500,000,000 in debt, the explanation given is to finance public transportation. Both of those numbers are BILLION, with a B. Any user of the Turnpike knows with the high tolls this roadway is literally a monetary printing press. So why is the Turnpike Commission borrowing against it the way they are? The tolls are already guaranteed to go up 5% per year until 2032. Public transit isn't getting any better. I recently read about SEPTA going into a death spiral.
We pay one of the highest gasoline taxes in the country. A lot of this money goes to public transportation which explains why the state highways are in such bad shape.
In short, we are living in one of the worst fiscally managed states in the union. I am looking to take up residence in a more southerly zip code within the next two years. It is really giving me something to look forward to.
State Stores
If you are a consumer of distilled spirits in Pennsylvania, you will have to buy them in a State operated and owned liquor store. These stores are staffed by retail clerks who are state employees. There is a retail clerks union, so I ask why do we have a system staffed by state employees, collecting generous state salaries, medical insurance and pensions benefits?
Dog Wardens
The state recently hired 60 dog wardens. Their purpose is to challenge people walking their dogs to make sure the dog is licensed. Failure to comply can result in fines up to $500. This program does nothing for dog owners and dog breeders. It is nothing more than a creative money grab. Yet the residents of PA put up with it! Read about it here:
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or People’s Republic of Pennsylvania?
And the beat (down) goes on...
This has to Stop!
As I pick up different news stories, I am noticing more frequently certain people are levying criticism of others by calling them Nazis. This really needs to stop! The most recent one I saw which I find particularly offensive, is former Congressman Jamaal Bowman calling Elon Musk a Nazi and a thief. Calling one a Nazi is probably one of the worst things you can say about another person. There is a forgotten incident from World War II that is coming to light, and I wonder if Mr. Bowman would heave this insult if he were aware of it.
Somewhere around the time of the Battle of the Bulge (I lost an uncle during that battle), an atrocity was committed against 11 black American soldiers. They faced overwhelming force and decided to take their chances as POW's. They were marched out of the town by SS soldiers. A short time into the future it was discovered these 11 black soldiers, wearing the U.S. soldiers uniform were slaughtered. What is particularly galling about this was no one was prosecuted for this heinous war crime. The investigation was closed and marked secret. So 11 black American soldiers were tortured and slaughtered and OUR GOVERNMENT DID NOTHING!
I wonder if Mr. Bowman would have hurled this insult if he knew of this event and the lack of follow-up by the U.S. Government, the allies or any legal body in authority?
In my opinion, no loyal American citizen, Elon Musk included, would be capable of such an act.
This Nazi insult craze has to stop!
Read the story yourself. Here is a link:
Emerging from history: Massacre of 11 black soldiers
