Are You Ready For A Property Tax Reduction?
Gov. Charlie Crist called for sweeping changes to Florida’s property tax system Tuesday, including allowing homeowners to shift the Save Our Homes tax cap to a new home and doubling the homestead exemption to $50,000.
Crist also wants to extend the 3-percent Save Our Homes tax cap to businesses and rental properties, and would exempt business-owned property worth less than $25,000 from Florida’s tangible personal property tax.
Here is a link to the Governor’s proposal:
http://www.flgov.com/release/8567
So tell us what you think?
posted by Blog Master @ 9:51 AM
18 Comments:
I didn't vote for him but the Governor is sure off to a good start.
Sounds like Crist has been talking to Tom Gallagher.
IMO Crist will never get the constitutional amendment through the legislature. Local governments will put on a full court press to stop it.
About time the businesses get some help with taxes.
Crist will be the best Democrat Governor Florida has ever had.
The legislature would be crazy not to let the voters decide on the tax amendment. Especially with Crist on a roll in popularity right now.
Hey lost our way please give us some more detail on your prior post. I'd be very interested to get input from that direction of thought. Thanks
Also, the comment from Anonymous that Crist would be the best Democratic governor ever, is interesting and I'd like some more commentary on that. Again thanks
I think the constitutional amendment will pass, and that it will cause much consternation for local governments. Just as unfunded mandates have caused problems, so will passing on to local govt. finding solutions to revenue/expense management.
Will make the use of zero based budgeting a much more viable option to consider.
CT: I'll not comment yet on why I Believe Crist is a Democrat. Let's give it 12-18 months and it will be obvious.
One person's views on our new Governor's tendency to lean left:
"Gov. Crist favors big government policies"
It has become apparent that Governor Crist is a politician and not a businessman. The new Republican governor has been quick to show his liberal leanings. Consider his classic big government solution to our property insurance problems.
Property Insurance prices have gone up after an unprecedented 4 major storms in 2004. Many companies went out of the property insurance business or left the state. The ones that managed to pay the millions of dollars in claims and stay financially viable were looking at rising reinsurance costs and other factors this year that forced them into either leaving the state as well or raising premiums. That's the law of supply and demand.
Governor Crist's Solution: Freeze all insurance companies rates immediately and effectively through the hurricane season. This means that Property Insurers are forced by government to keep all of their policyholders, regardless of how many claims they accumulate. And it cripple insurers so that they can not adjust their rates to ensure that they have the cash flow to pay future claims and meet expenses. This just might effectively force out the rest of the private companies and leave the state-controlled Citizens as the lone insurer. That is tantamount to a government takeover of the Insurance industry.
Let's extrapolate Crist's flawed logic to other businesses. If there is a big freeze this year and some citrus crops are damaged, causing orange juice prices to soar, will Crist hold a "special session" to demand that orange growers reduce prices? Or will he just allow the market to fix that problem?
Tim Jones,
Gainesville
Amen Mr. Jones. Slippery slope Gov. Crist has put the state of FL on.
Why don't we just run all of the Insurance companies out of FL. Home auto life medical insurance get rid of it all from the private sector. Lets just send $1000 dollars a year to Tallahassee then when we have an accident, hospital visit, or the wind blows a tree on our house we can just call up the govt and have them cut a check for our losses. Then when they see a shortfall they can do what private industry does, assess the business model and adjust rates accordingly. You know raise premiums; oh wait a minute the govt doesn't deal with premiums. Their means of income is TAXES. Yes that's what they can do, just raise our taxes to cover the shortfall. Gosh I feel better already. Keep going Charlie!! Who needs State Farm. "Your in good hands with Charlie!!!!"
Slick Charlie is not my man, but it will be interesting to see how the legislature responds to his plan, when it is developed beyond sound bites.
Hard to say how anyone will receive a constitutional ammendment that has not been developed, but I can see most business people jumping on board. Businesses have caught it hard with assessnments and other charges, and any relief will be accepted.
Schools and city and county govt state associations will fight it to the end, and they will be joined by the press but most people are pretty well fed up and unless the proposal turns out to be a fraud, it will pass.
It will be interesting to read the press and their cries of woe. --pwf
The construction slowdown has ended.
Every tradesman in the area will have plenty of work as a result of the tornadoes.
The damages at the Villages surprised me. I have been around for a long time, and have covered many storms, but I can not remember such a wide path of devestation as at the Villages.
You sort of expecvt to see mobile homes damages the way they were, but to have such wide damage of site built homes surprised me.
God bless those who lost loved ones, and thank God there were no more lives lost. -- pwf
There is an interesting EDC discussion of Emergency One at the following site. If this link does not work, the blogmaster might want to post the site. This link goes to EDC, then click on the 2/2/07 E-One Proposal FACTS.
http://www.ocalaedc.org/
For the first time, contrary to what has been said on this blog, the idea will be in writing and become a proposal at Tuesday's City Council meeting. It will be interesting to see what is fact and what has been fantasy about the EDC discussions.
There may be a move to try and get a councilman to not vote in the Banner tomorrow. Contrary to all the talk about giveaways, things may not be quite as sure for E-One. --pwf
If the City Council or County Commission give one red cent to E-one they all need to be booted out of office. If there are any politicians with back bones they would use this opportunity to cut all funding of our tax dollars that supports the EDC. They(edc) have proven that they should be self supporting and they have proven not only have they done nothing for the economic business climate of this community but now they are catering to one company and willing to give them millions of dollars that could be better spent to improve our roads, schools and City and County agencies that actully benefit all of Marion County residents not just the 1300 e-one employees.
I am also appaulled at the money they spent on the E-one is Essential Ad campaign! I'm sure no tax payer dollars were spent on that ??? This will also be Ms. Barbara's big test, will she vote for her EDC cronies and save E-one or will she vote for the average worker who put her in office and save our money?
The heck with that commission group. Just take it direct to the people to vote on. GO CHARLIE!
I know this is not the thread for the following content, but it appears that the discussion has continued here.
In response to The Star Banners editorial department on E-One:
The "facts" surrounding this deal are far from being the main point of contention. Brad Rogers speaks of prudence over principle. The principle meaning that once again we look to government to solve all of our problems. We desperately need government to step in and use their "wisdom" to formulate ways to extract taxpayer wealth and transfer it to some other party or entity. Principle indeed.
Prudence? Let's apply this word as practice in a capitalist society. Let's be prudent and not run off to engage in socialist voodoo that in the end detracts from the community. This has been demonstrated time and again not to work.
If we're going to apply the business principles of Hugo Chavez lets get him up here as our representative.
The "fact" is very, very few companies ever participate in this socialist practice of taxpayer extortion. We as a community should direct our efforts to ensure this "business activity" does not devoure us and our wallets.
LOW,
Why waste time of the committee. The elected reps. already know where they stand. Let them vote now.
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