No Tax Over 65
By Jim Bauer
@porwest (113640)
United States
July 19, 2026 7:52am CST
Of course I am always interested in reducing taxes. I am a Republican. There are two areas I'd like to see major reforms on. Social Security income and real estate taxes.
Let's talk about Social Security first. I don't think there should be any income tax imposed at all here. It should be 100% non-taxable. Here's why. I see it as something that's already been a tax in and of itself. I also do not believe there should be limits on income if people decide to take their benefits before full retirement age.
I DO believe we should tax welfare benefits, food stamps, energy assistance and rental assistance as regular income because it comes FROM taxes.
As for real estate, I think seniors aged 65 and older should NOT be required to pay property taxes on their PRIMARY RESIDENCE. If they have rental properties, that's fair game because it's a business.
I don't want to get too deep into the 'why' in the post, because it will get too long and no one will read it. But we can talk about that in the comments. What are your thoughts on this? Let's have a discussion.
9 people like this
7 responses
@FourWalls (87614)
• United States
19 Jul
One thing I like about Kentucky is that they’re slowly eliminating the income tax for everyone, and Social Security is not taxed here. They will get you in other ways, though. 
5 people like this
@porwest (113640)
• United States
13 Aug
There is something that was happening up north in Wisconsin around Echo Lake and a few other places, that were not luxury lakefront homes. The land was cheap, the houses were just "normal." Eventually people started buying lots and even some of the homes, rebuilt into luxury lakefront properties, it shot the taxes and land value so high seniors who had lived there all their lives suddenly saw their property values skyrocket and many were forced out.
I never thought that was a fair thing for someone who paid their house off only to one day not be able to afford the taxes.
1 person likes this
@porwest (113640)
• United States
13 Aug
Well, the taxes do go to community services as well as fund public schools. The taxes would be collected anyway, just from somewhere else if no one paid. I think it's fair to impose a tax while a mortgage is held (not a 2nd or third one, though) and so long as the property is being lived in by the owner. If it is being rented out it should be taxed since the renter will pay the tax.
2 people like this
@porwest (113640)
• United States
13 Aug
Technically it is. The thing is, the way social security works here is that any funds collected from payroll taxes to FICA, which is the social security trust fund, do not go into the general fund. It's completely separate from the annual budget in our government. However, when taxes are collected on distributed benefits to recipients, those funds DO go into the general fund and become part of the annual budget.
To me, because people pay into social security, any funds they receive as a benefit should not be considered income and therefore, should not be taxed. Disability could be treated differently, but only because the total of the outlays they will receive over time most likely will exceed what they paid in.
EVEN IF you take into account that most people receive more in benefits than they put in even if it's the supplemental retirement benefit considering wages were likely lower when they paid in, therefore they paid less in FICA taxes, and benefits are based on current cost of living as well as credits earned and total lifetime income.
1 person likes this
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (18961)
• Torrington, Connecticut
14 Aug
I agree with you Jim, great post
1 person likes this
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (18961)
• Torrington, Connecticut
15 Aug
@porwest correct, I’d say no taxes after 62
@moffittjc (129650)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Jul
Isn't social security already taxed as income when we earn our paychecks every week? Or does the government take it out of our paychecks BEFORE applying taxes?
I feel that once seniors hit 65, they should pay nothing in taxes on anything, except maybe like you said rental properties, People get taxed their entire working lives, and then retire and find that they still get taxed on everything after that. Let the poor old people have a break! lol
