By JEROME R. STOCKFISCH and CATHERINE DOLINSKI The Tampa Tribune
TALLAHASSEE - The state Senate approved a core tax-relief package Wednesday but sharply rebuked far-reaching proposals from the House, dimming lawmakers’ hopes of leaving the Capitol with a property tax overhaul today.
Florida used to be known as a low tax, economical place to live.
Why is it that they can’t still get along on the same percentage budget that they used to?
There really should be a big time audit of all their books.
There are a lot of us who have seen first hand, some very useless, unnecessary spending on equipment, salaries and perks.
And this parks acquisition thing. Really, as built up as the area is I don’t think there is any more room for parks. How about just leaving some areas as “conservation lands”?
Until we are taxed equally on property taxes there won’t be any changes. Save Our Homes 3% cap has cause this crisis. It would have probably been fine with the exemptions but not the 3Êp. No one has been able to stop growth.Whether property taxes, property insurances gas prices, our salaries.....
This is not about government spending. It is about how we tax different groups of people in this state differently. It not about what you can afford. It is what your house is worth. It is about stopping growth in the input of money into our economy. that has grown faster than 3%. I can’t imagine how my husband and I would have ever survived if we have never get a decent raise. So why when the economy does go up nobody wants to pay their fair share for services that we need. There is a standard of services that we have gotten used to so it that is what you don’t think should be than work to get rid of them. Property insurance is a bigger issue than property taxes probably if our legislators would have done something there most or all of the Citizens of Florida would see a greater saving in their pockets.
Our tax system will always be in place and it will aways be hard to please everyone. But when a system is unfair or should I say not equal is when something needs to be done. We all deserve for things in our lives to be equal that is what democracy is all about. Most seem to forget what democracy is or just lost sight of if.
Save Our Homes 3% cap has cause this crisis. It would have probably been fine with the exemptions but not the 3Êp. No one has been able to stop growth.Whether property taxes, property insurances gas prices, our salaries.....
The Republicans have managed to stop one thing on the list from growing - our salaries!! That has been done though in order to increase the salaries of those that don’t need it - the CEO’s.
There is no tax crisis - in fact - Save our Homes has managed to do just that for countless Middle Class people. It’s the Rich who own 2nd-3rd homes, rental properties, businesses who are doing all the screaming. Save our Homes actually makes them pay their fair share and they hate that. Businesses get constant tax breaks and yet constantly demand more & more. How much tax cuts is enough??
The crisis is in insurance and the Republicans could care less how much that one is squeezing the middle class since the Insurance Industry gives the Florida Republican Party about $20 Million annually. They even got the State to take over much of the risk and the Insurance Industry just pocketed the extra profits from than then asked for even higher increases.
I’d say that far more than just rich folk who own more than one home are making noise over this. MOST homeowners are not multi-home owners, and yet Crist received a very clear message -since he was pushed into his position based on lowering property taxes and insurance rates. I’ve only got the one home (and have no intention of owning more than just the one home -how many do I need? ) but I’m a big proponent of lowering our property taxes -and taxes in general.
I’m certainly not rich -wish I was, but I’m not.
Our insurance situation is far more complex than a two or three bit paragraph can sum up -and I don’t pretend to understand the entire thing (and I’d be impressed -and skeptical- if you claimed that you did).
The insurance industry gives just as freely to the democrats -ask the late Walkin’ Lawton Chiles about that -or at least those involved in his campaings (since he is, after all, late) -Republicans certainly don’t have the corner on that mark. Its typical politics -they (be it insurance company or tobacco lobby) want to be seen as giving to whichever side wins the seat -because they don’t want to be seen as ‘against’ anyone. How else could you justify the tobacco lobby giving millions to democrats, when it was democrats who started the practice of having government sue private companies -even though the product the private companies offered was actually legal? Talk to the Gun industry about that -they (democrats) tried to do the same thing to them -but some republcans wisely put the stops to it. Democrats have a record for trying to get what they want via the courts, if they cannot get it at the ballot box.
Thats not really a trait one should be proud of.
In ANY case, I firmly believe that anyone who honestly thinks their taxes are ‘low enough’ (or God help us, ‘too low’ should give the difference they believe they should have taken from them, to charity.
But I cannot think of a single person I know, who is a working stiff, that is, not someone on welfare, who believes they should have their taxes go up. They all seem to believe (as do I) that they SHOULD be able to keep more of the results of their labor (paycheck), not less. I know of no home-owner who would not welcome a lower tax bill. I know of quite a few (myself included) who would love to move to a better home, or more property, or even a different area, but will not because they couldn’t absorb the larger tax bracket they would be placed into.
I think it is the height of assinine thought to continaully burdon a home-owner, to cause them to pay for services everyone else uses -which is hardly fair to the one who is forced to keep paying time and again, for the same piece of land they have purchased years ago.
I’d say that far more than just rich folk who own more than one home are making noise over this. MOST homeowners are not multi-home owners, and yet Crist received a very clear message -since he was pushed into his position based on lowering property taxes and insurance rates. I’ve only got the one home (and have no intention of owning more than just the one home -how many do I need? ) but I’m a big proponent of lowering our property taxes -and taxes in general.
I’m certainly not rich -wish I was, but I’m not.
Our insurance situation is far more complex than a two or three bit paragraph can sum up -and I don’t pretend to understand the entire thing (and I’d be impressed -and skeptical- if you claimed that you did).
The insurance industry gives just as freely to the democrats -ask the late Walkin’ Lawton Chiles about that -or at least those involved in his campaings (since he is, after all, late) -Republicans certainly don’t have the corner on that mark. Its typical politics -they (be it insurance company or tobacco lobby) want to be seen as giving to whichever side wins the seat -because they don’t want to be seen as ‘against’ anyone. How else could you justify the tobacco lobby giving millions to democrats, when it was democrats who started the practice of having government sue private companies -even though the product the private companies offered was actually legal? Talk to the Gun industry about that -they (democrats) tried to do the same thing to them -but some republcans wisely put the stops to it. Democrats have a record for trying to get what they want via the courts, if they cannot get it at the ballot box.
Thats not really a trait one should be proud of.
How much money do the Republican get from the gun industry? How much is spent by Special interests groups and campaign contribution’s to stop any great legislations the would protect at least our Police Officers. Let alone innocent bystanders. By the way they did raise the taxes enormously on cigarettes when all the suits were going on and they are still high. It does give you a great reason to quit. Maybe they can do that to guns and alcohol.How much could we save the taxpayers when the gun owners and alcohol users have to pay more taxes to fund their casalities.
Insurance went up in this state when Bush was governor. Actually it has probably gone more than 4 times higher. When Chiles was in after Hurricane Andrew it had only double. But it took about six years to do that. How fast did it double,triple and so on this time when Bush was in. Look how fast this Governor is working on it with is mostly republican legislators to prolong the high property insurance.
Save our Homes would have been fine had it not had a 3% cap. You cannot stop growth in the economy. My first house was 32,000.00 It is now worth 270,000.00 I am glad for growth. I am worth more now and I am glad for it. I guess I was a specular or someone that thought a house was a sound investment.
We bought our house 24 years ago and paid $250.00 a year in taxes at the beginning. Now we pay $1,050.00. We have not benefitted from the increased property values. We did not flip houses and drive up the market. We have spent 24 years working to improve our property and make it a home. Because the property market went crazy and then went bust should my husband and I lose what we have worked for more than 24 years because our taxes increase beyond what we can afford. 24 years ago we paid $39,900.00 for our home (a price we could afford for a small 2 bedroom). Yes we added on and made it a modest 1400 square foot home - nothing fancy but it is ours. We have about 10 years to go on our current mortgage - would you have us forced into an apartment so that you can have lower taxes on your mcmansion.
We choose to buy what we could afford - what about you?
We bought our house 24 years ago and paid $250.00 a year in taxes at the beginning. Now we pay $1,050.00. We have not benefitted from the increased property values. We did not flip houses and drive up the market. We have spent 24 years working to improve our property and make it a home. Because the property market went crazy and then went bust should my husband and I lose what we have worked for more than 24 years because our taxes increase beyond what we can afford. 24 years ago we paid $39,900.00 for our home (a price we could afford for a small 2 bedroom). Yes we added on and made it a modest 1400 square foot home - nothing fancy but it is ours. We have about 10 years to go on our current mortgage - would you have us forced into an apartment so that you can have lower taxes on your mcmansion.
We choose to buy what we could afford - what about you?
A great example how the Save our Homes is supposed to work. This fine middle class couple is able to keep what they worked hard for and the Rich who own businesses and 2nd-3rd homes pay their fair share.
So, Jacque, you propose to raise taxes on firearms and ammo to the point that people will be unable to afford to own or use guns -way to get around that pesky second amendment right, isn’t it?
Nevermind that the ones commiting most of the crimes (criminals) don’t tend to pay for their tools of the trade. Who is hurt here? Oh yeah, the law-abiding, not the criminal.
Of course, I suppose you could take it a step further and start fining people for saying things that upset others -after all, if you’re willing to trample the 2nd amendment, why not the first? Perhaps if we fined or punished folk for angry speech, you would see less road rage, fewer crimes of passion -resulting in fewer murders and injury…
Its silly, but if you’re going to carry it for one segment of the population (gun owners) you can certainly carry it to the other. Jack up the taxes on gasoline like Al Gore wanted to do in the ‘90s when he claimed that he would (if he could) raise taxes to the point that fuel would be $5/gallon -what would that be in todays’ dollars? His goal was to make it too expensive for people to drive except when they had no other option -not only would this save fuel and ease our dependence on foreign oil, but would reduce pollution and lessen the congestion on the highways -all laudible goals.
Your comment about guns is typical of the left (even if you aren’t of the left, it IS typical of their politicians) -as is the behavior. If you cannot get it at the ballot box, get it via legislation.
If gun companies support the conservatives more than the liberals, it is simply because the conservatives are less likely to try to trample the rights that allow the citizens to buy and own firearms -and that is simply good business. There are millions who enjoy owning, collecting, and shooting firearms -from collectors who never fire a shot (I know several -their guns are kept in cases and many have never been fired -not since they were made at the factory) to those who enjoy going to the range and practicing (as I do) and of course the folk who enjoy hunting (again as I do). Quite a few (just going by the numbers of conceal/carry permits) own guns for self-defense. Personally, I’m not going to fault your LEGAL reasoning for exercising your rights to keep and bear arms anymore than I’m going to fault you for choosing to drive whatever vehicle you drive.
There are cottage industries within this -folks who enjoy reloading their own, and we won’t even get into the muzzle-loading (black powder -even though actual black powder is rarely used when compared to the substitutes) as they are a whole different ball of wax -many of them cast their own projectiles as well.
There are millions who enjoy owning, collecting, and shooting firearms -from collectors who never fire a shot
I do not doubt your are entirely correct but as they used to say in school - “the bad ones ruin it for the good ones” which is the reason guns should go.
really? So to heck with our rights, we must abandon them because of a few bad eggs? Are you just as ready to give up your fourth amendment right because criminals may hide (or hide contraband) in homes? Why complain about Bushs’ so-called illegal wiretapping when there is ample evidence that terrorists and criminals in general, use cell phones? Using your way of thinking, they shouldn’t be listening in only on conversations to foreign entities suspected of collaborating with terrorists -no, they should be listening to EVERY conversation. That would be using the same way of thinking you just employed.
Hateful speech causes quite a few arguments that lead to death or injury -should we now take away the 1st amendment because of a few bad eggs, or just because some don’t wish to be politically correct?
People who either cannot drive safely -either because they are just plain incompetent, or incapacitated by liquor and or drugs, cause a horrible amount of suffering and death on our highways -should we now take away all the cars and allow nobody but police and military to drive?
Your argument against guns is very poorly thought out. Just because you have no evident problem with giving up the 2nd amendment, doesn’t mean its a good idea -after all, eventually the same rationale will be used to come after rights that you hold dear.
You don’t strip away constitutional rights for all, just because of a relative handful of bad people.
When I bought my house, I could afford the property taxes. Now my house is appraised at a value so high that if I tried to purchase my house at the appraised value, I would not qualify for a loan. If I could not qualify to to buy my house at the appraised value, how in the world does the govenment think I could afford the taxes on the increased value? Taxes should be indexed so that they are more in line with a person’s income...not what some stranger thinks my house might sell for! Maybe a state income tax or a sales tax would be more fair than a property tax.
should give the difference they believe they should have taken from them, to charity.