Posted on 06/15/2007 3:43:25 AM PDT by Pharmboy
MIAMI, June 14 — Addressing rising anger about the cost of owning a home in Florida — and the recent troubles of the state’s real estate industry — the Legislature on Thursday approved a plan for a property tax cut it said would be the largest in state history.
The plan was championed by Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican who has vowed to make taxes “drop like a rock,” and Marco Rubio, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, who has made property-tax relief the main goal of his first year in power.
The cost of the package was initially estimated to be $31.6 billion over five years, but a last-minute change pushed by Republicans in the Senate may have blunted the savings by as much as $7 billion.
Even so, many local governments that levy property taxes said it would ravage their budgets, potentially forcing layoffs of police officers and firefighters and deep cuts to public schools. Some counties and cities have raised the possibility of a legal challenge.
Florida does not have an income tax, and lawmakers did mention imposing one to make up for lost property tax revenue. Republican leaders had hoped to substantially decrease or even eliminate property taxes in exchange for a sharp sales tax increase. But that idea proved too controversial.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
"Dismay" would, of course, NEVER be reported in a headline accompanying any action by the Democrats. [John Belushi voice] "Nooooo-oooo..."
MSM routine media bias ping...
“The cost of the package...”
Cost? Cost!...bs alert....
Good, my man Rush going to get a tax break too !
I just read the details.
Seven percent rollback this year.
In January the decision to keep SOH (Save Our Homes) or the super homestead exemption will be on the ballot.
If the superexemption wins, then you can still opt to keep SOH if you choose, as long as you live in your present home. Once you sell, the super exemption would apply to your new home. If you opt to change your SOH to the super exemption (you can change but you can’t change back once you’ve made the decision) you can probably save some money in the beginning, but if inflation drives up the price of houses again, keeping the SOH might benefit you more, in the long run.
Since we’ve lived in our home for a long time, and the cap is at 200,000 for the main superexemption, I think we’ll be better off to keep SOH because the superexemption won’t save us that much. But if we decide to move, for whatever reason, it will be give us a better break on our new purchase, compared to the old system.
I don’t want to fund dog parks, old folks centers, new Police headquarters, New annexes for big gov. We have so many cops running around it is hard to get a donut at Dunkin Donuts.
Enough spending. Enough taxes enough trying to make every little berg here in Florida look like a big city venture
all paid for through ultra high property taxes.
And I'm sure he's going to bury this windfall in a box under the sand, too. He wouldn't possibly spend or invest it, creating jobs and tax revenue.
Seems to me that the police are revenue generators. 99% of the time they are just ticketing people for piddling offenses.
No offense to cops.
MSM bias ping...
“Even so, many local governments that levy property taxes said it would ravage their budgets, potentially forcing layoffs of police officers and firefighters and deep cuts to public schools. Some counties and cities have raised the possibility of a legal challenge.”
Complete BS, the local budgets are so bloated with waste.
He mentioned this on one of his shows last week.
The local rag had gotten hold of his property taxes and published them in an effort to show how the ‘rich’ were going to make out. Not that every property owner would have taxes reduced, but look how much ‘more’ the rich would save.
Liberal scare tactics, class warfare, class envy etc etc.
I actually don’t give a rats a$$ what Rush or anyone else pays in property taxes for that matter.
The man is a national treasure.
My thoughts exactly. Eliminate all non-essential services...
I love how it is always the essential services that will have to be cut not the Arts Commission, social services, cars for commissioners etc.
What irks me is that there’s been a huge run up of property values over the last few years. They are collecting substantially more revenue due to that. All they did was spend it... And then complain they’re going to have to lay off essential services if there’s any cut... And even with those “cuts” they’ll be collecting more than they did a few years ago.
Screw’em.
Just out of curiosity, what would the Florida real property tax be on a single family house valued at $450,000?
Please, cut my taxes.
We have so many cops running around it is hard to get a donut at Dunkin Donuts. ...................That’s for sure, and many of the sheriffs are retired northern inner city cops. The density of sheriff/police cars is enormous for the population here. They have to keep busy ticketing the seniors driving around with their turn signals on and going 6 mph over the speed limit. We moved here from NY and found that our property tax bill was higher than on L.I.. How is that possible?!!!
The question is, is the entire article nothing but bald, in your face, lies, or are they really, this dehydrated, bone crushingly stupid?
Florida lawmakers cannot impose a tax, they must come to us and ask through a vote to change the Constitution,, if we want one.
This is not Mother Russia - or New Jersey - this is Florida.
For that matter, even this reduction will have to be so voted on. - By us. - a concept that the NYT is obviously completely unaware of.
Damn! Lowering my taxes? I’m dismayed! /sarcasm
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