Absolutely true that resort areas totally depend on non residents, I support the same kinds of activities that you do. The kind of tax system Massachusetts has established for vacation areas hasn’t reached upstate NY yet, but the Adirondacks are about 50 miles from the Berkshires. I feel very sure the property tax breaks will rapidly spread to us. I also know that the locals really don’t have opportunities for good paying jobs, So I’ll accept the higher tax on second homes owners when it arrives, And there’s self interest attached. I want to be able to go to a restaurant, have the lawn mowed, have our boat cared for, etc.
Our banking system isn’t the reason some full time residents own homes in resort areas. It’s because the locals bought before second homes demand exploded and many live in less desirable — not lake front— areas. What you say about the Irish situation closely tracks what’s happening in the US,
All this simply says that seasonal residents need services like supermarkets, restaurants, fire and police protection etc. All of those services require people to provide them, But the increasing number of non residents pressures the housing supply and prices out lower income service workers. Your summer spending and library and food bank donations aren’t sufficient to allow the workers to live in the area,
I can’t vote in the Adirondacks either. I don’t know any place second home owners have that option. And my property tax is a little more than $7000 a year — no water, but we do have weekly garbage pickup (necessary in an area with a large bear population!). We also make very large contributions to the local ambulance service that is staffed by local volunteer emts. increased property values contribute to the wealth effect, but a local
will need to find another place to live if he/she sells. The only way a local in a place like CC could profit from a house sale is relocate. I don’t support tax breaks for people just because they’re old. And there are no programs in WI that provide them.
I hear what you’re saying, but I believe you have mentioned somewhere your property taxes on CC are in the $2000 range. That’s VERY LOW; what you originally paid for the house and how much you contribute to the summer economy are also pretty irrelevant. The bottom line is that the town needs more revenue and folks like you are going to provide the bucks. Increasing the summer residents’ taxes isn’t going to drive anybody away. The summer people will complain over their lobster rolls, but they’ll pay the increase. The property in CC — and in most in most vacation areas-/ is a scarce resource. You can be sure demand will likely always outstrip supply. Thr town really can’t do an across the board increase— the workers you rely on to provide the services you need in the summer can’t afford the higher tax, THEY would be priced out, This is best seen as a First World Problem. Nobody wants higher taxes, but the having the house far outweighs the higher taxes bill.
Are you planning to put your house on the market to avoid the tax? I very much doubt it. My husband and I own a house on a pristine lake in the Adirondack Mts in upstate NY. The local /nonresident friction you mention exists there too. But the major cause is also the same— the income differences between the two groups. And things got worse during Covid—the rundown properties that locals lived in were bought by people— many from n’ern NJ— who ripped down the shacks and built mega mansions. The locals were displaced. No effort to date has yet happened to have the non residents pay more tax, but it’s just a matter of time. And I do accept the need for people like my husband and me to pay more. I won’t like doing it— but I am not willing to free ride people who have less. i see a parallel between this and my Medicare costs. Because of our retirement income, I pay far more than most for Medicare. I have no complaints about doing that. So if I have a lakefront house as my SECOND home where many residents have lesser housing options, I should be willing to correct that imbalance.
Why consider event tickets and 529 contributions to be mutually exclusive? In addition to the concert tickets and parking, we put a match to the earnings from her very part time job in her Roth account. Her 529 is fully funded. i think we’re very responsible spenders— even if we’re willing to spend on fun occasionally.
Comments
I do returns through the IRS sponsored VITA program for low income and seniors at Goodwill. We’re required to e file all returns.
Post: Checks and Balances
Link to comment from January 30, 2026
Absolutely true that resort areas totally depend on non residents, I support the same kinds of activities that you do. The kind of tax system Massachusetts has established for vacation areas hasn’t reached upstate NY yet, but the Adirondacks are about 50 miles from the Berkshires. I feel very sure the property tax breaks will rapidly spread to us. I also know that the locals really don’t have opportunities for good paying jobs, So I’ll accept the higher tax on second homes owners when it arrives, And there’s self interest attached. I want to be able to go to a restaurant, have the lawn mowed, have our boat cared for, etc.
Post: Decoupled From Reality
Link to comment from January 30, 2026
Our banking system isn’t the reason some full time residents own homes in resort areas. It’s because the locals bought before second homes demand exploded and many live in less desirable — not lake front— areas. What you say about the Irish situation closely tracks what’s happening in the US,
Post: Decoupled From Reality
Link to comment from January 30, 2026
Exactly’. Could you live on four months of steady income?
Post: Decoupled From Reality
Link to comment from January 30, 2026
All this simply says that seasonal residents need services like supermarkets, restaurants, fire and police protection etc. All of those services require people to provide them, But the increasing number of non residents pressures the housing supply and prices out lower income service workers. Your summer spending and library and food bank donations aren’t sufficient to allow the workers to live in the area,
Post: Decoupled From Reality
Link to comment from January 30, 2026
I can’t vote in the Adirondacks either. I don’t know any place second home owners have that option. And my property tax is a little more than $7000 a year — no water, but we do have weekly garbage pickup (necessary in an area with a large bear population!). We also make very large contributions to the local ambulance service that is staffed by local volunteer emts. increased property values contribute to the wealth effect, but a local will need to find another place to live if he/she sells. The only way a local in a place like CC could profit from a house sale is relocate. I don’t support tax breaks for people just because they’re old. And there are no programs in WI that provide them.
Post: Decoupled From Reality
Link to comment from January 29, 2026
I hear what you’re saying, but I believe you have mentioned somewhere your property taxes on CC are in the $2000 range. That’s VERY LOW; what you originally paid for the house and how much you contribute to the summer economy are also pretty irrelevant. The bottom line is that the town needs more revenue and folks like you are going to provide the bucks. Increasing the summer residents’ taxes isn’t going to drive anybody away. The summer people will complain over their lobster rolls, but they’ll pay the increase. The property in CC — and in most in most vacation areas-/ is a scarce resource. You can be sure demand will likely always outstrip supply. Thr town really can’t do an across the board increase— the workers you rely on to provide the services you need in the summer can’t afford the higher tax, THEY would be priced out, This is best seen as a First World Problem. Nobody wants higher taxes, but the having the house far outweighs the higher taxes bill.
Post: Decoupled From Reality
Link to comment from January 28, 2026
Are you planning to put your house on the market to avoid the tax? I very much doubt it. My husband and I own a house on a pristine lake in the Adirondack Mts in upstate NY. The local /nonresident friction you mention exists there too. But the major cause is also the same— the income differences between the two groups. And things got worse during Covid—the rundown properties that locals lived in were bought by people— many from n’ern NJ— who ripped down the shacks and built mega mansions. The locals were displaced. No effort to date has yet happened to have the non residents pay more tax, but it’s just a matter of time. And I do accept the need for people like my husband and me to pay more. I won’t like doing it— but I am not willing to free ride people who have less. i see a parallel between this and my Medicare costs. Because of our retirement income, I pay far more than most for Medicare. I have no complaints about doing that. So if I have a lakefront house as my SECOND home where many residents have lesser housing options, I should be willing to correct that imbalance.
Post: Decoupled From Reality
Link to comment from January 28, 2026
Why consider event tickets and 529 contributions to be mutually exclusive? In addition to the concert tickets and parking, we put a match to the earnings from her very part time job in her Roth account. Her 529 is fully funded. i think we’re very responsible spenders— even if we’re willing to spend on fun occasionally.
Post: Money to burn?
Link to comment from January 27, 2026
Maybe if you consider the game as costing less than a wedding, you’ll feel better about buying the tickets.
Post: Money to burn?
Link to comment from January 26, 2026