For the 2007 fiscal year, the City budget shows $567.3 million in general fund revenues. Aside from the $125 million in "intergovernmental revenue" (State and federal money that nonetheless came out of your pocket and mine, methinks), and $20 million in "payments to the general fund" (mostly taxes on property of authorities {think "RRHA"}, i.e., generally money extracted from you and me), most of this came directly out of our hides.
| Total City Taxes | $346,333,030 | 61.1% |
| Licenses, Permits and Fees | $ 34,155,443 | 6.0% |
| Intergovernmental | $125,425,995 | 22.1% |
| Payments to General Fund | $ 20,916,204 | 3.7% |
| Fines and Forfeitures | $ 9,518,945 | 1.7% |
| Other Utility Payments | $ 6,946,875 | 1.2% |
| Charges for Goods & Services | $ 19,985,664 | 3.5% |
| Miscellaneous | $ 3,972,735 | 0.7% |
| Total Revenues | $567,254,891 |
Here are the same data in graphical form:
That $346 million in taxes comes to about $1,786 per person, based on the 2005-06 population of 193,900.
You probably know about the real estate tax, $1.23 per $100 of a assessed value in 2006-07. If you own a house, you know about it in detail. Then there's the tangible personal property ($3.70 per $100) and machinery and tools used for manufacturing and mining ($2.30 per $100). As to the personal property, the State now pays 70% of the car tax (up to $20,000 value of the vehicle). Of course, you pay state taxes to pay that 70%, so it's still your money, laundered through the State. You see the sales tax every time you make a purchase: in the period of the last report, 1% of the 4.5% tax went to the City; now the rate is higher. On top of the sales tax comes the 6% levy on prepared meals, plus another 1% for the Performing Arts boondoggle.
That's nowhere near the end of the matter. You also get taxed on your:
- Electricity ($1.40 + $0.015116 per KW-Hr, not to exceed $4 per month)
- Electricity consumption ($.00038 per kWh for the first 2,500 kWh; sliding scale above that)
- Gas ($1.78 plus $0.010091 per 100 CCF, not to exceed $4 per month)
- Telephone (25% of first $20)
- Business & Professional Licenses (depends on the business and gross receipts)
- Motor Vehicle License ($23 on the first 4,000 lbs of car, $28 if heavier; sliding scale for trucks)
- Admission to place of amusement or entertainment (7%)
- Bank Stock ($0.80 per $100 value of the stock)
- Sales (1% atop the State levy)
- Prepared Meals (6%; increased from 5% on 1/1/04 to pay for the Arts Center)
- Lodging (8%)
- Cable TV (5%)
Likewise they have commercial and industrial utility taxes and they get some folks for private utility poles, titling mobile homes, recording deeds, or renting vehicles.
So they do tax you for breathing if it's into a 'phone, or as part of your profession, or laughing at a movie, or while eating in a restaurant, or while driving a rented car.
Here is a summary of the tax income budget for 2006-07:
| Real Estate | $204,609,429 | 59% |
| Rehabilitation Tax Credits | $ (14,047,151) | -4% |
| Personal Property | $ 43,038,588 | 12% |
| Machinery and Tools | $ 15,624,906 | 5% |
| Penalty & Interest | $ 4,657,000 | 1% |
| Local Sales Tax | $ 27,563,882 | 8.0% |
| Electric Consumer | $ 12,450,587 | 4% |
| Cable Consumer | $ 2,088,197 | 1% |
| Telephone Consumer | $ 12,275,917 | 3.5% |
| Gas Consumer | $ 5,587,629 | 1.6% |
| Bank Franchise | $ 2,481,207 | 0.7% |
| Prepared Food | $ 16,648,404 | 4.8% |
| Admission | $ 1,631,308 | 0.5% |
| Utility Pole & Conduit | $ 93,137 | 0.0% |
| Vehicle Rental | $ 872,100 | 0.3% |
| State Recordation | $ 598,791 | 0.2% |
| Property Rental | $ 168,300 | 0.0% |
| Motor Home Title | $ 10,000 | 0.0% |
| Telephone Commissions | $ 547,000 | 0.2% |
| Delinquent Real Estate | $ 7,008,299 | 2.0% |
| Delinquent Personal Property | $ 2,425,500 | 0.7% |
| $346,333,030 |
or, in graphical form with the real estate offset by the rehabilitation tax credits and with the smaller numbers combined into a "misc." category:
Here are the 2006-07 expenditures budgeted:
| General Government | $ 57,857,760 | 10% |
| Safety and Judiciary | $145,649,530 | 26% |
| Public Works | $ 56,032,631 | 10% |
| Human Services | $ 76,188,001 | 13% |
| Culture and Recreation | $ 19,496,703 | 3% |
| Schools | $139,846,617 | 25% |
| Non-Depart-mental | $ 21,980,640 | 4% |
| Debt | $ 50,203,000 | 9% |
| $567,254,882 |
Or, in terms of a chart:
Note that the school expenditure of $139.8 million includes some $35 million (ca. 25%) that is being wasted.