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Hernando Today

Vote 'Yes' On 1

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 23, 2008

Updated: 01/22/2008 07:44 pm

On Tuesday, Jan. 29, the residents of Florida have an opportunity to complete two important tasks. One is to select a nominee for their political party to run for president of the United States. The second, and perhaps more important to their financial well-being, is their vote on Amendment 1.
Amendment 1 clearly outlines four issues:

1. It increases the homestead exemption by exempting the assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000. This exemption does not apply to school district taxes.

2. Portability. This provision works as follows: You take the difference between a homestead's just market value and the assessed value. If you upsize, you take that dollar amount with you up to $500,000. If you downsize you take the percentage of the gap with you. Example: If the just market value equals $300,000 on your previous home and the assessed value equals $150,000 on the new home, you take the 50 percent gap to the smaller home. This applies to all property taxing entities.

3. Grants an exemption from property taxes on the first $25,000 of assessed value of tangible personal taxes. This applies to all property taxing entities.

4. Limits the increase in assessment of specified non-homestead real property to 10 percent each year. This limitation does not apply to school district taxes.

Contrary to what is being said by opponents, you can see that the language above taken from the official ballot holds the school district harmless in most cases. In the case of portability, it can actually increase the taxes to the school district depending on the price of the new home purchased.

The people of Florida have asked for tax reform, which this is not. It is, however, tax relief that is sorely needed by homeowners and businesses in the state.

Failure to pass this amendment would send the wrong message to our legislators, who, at their best, did a poor job on tax reform. Don't give them an excuse to do even less in the future.

While we agree this amendment is not perfect, it is a step in the right direction.
Opponents of the amendment say it will take money from local governments that need it.

What local governments need is a lesson on fiscal responsibility, and they have not yet embraced that philosophy. What the taxpayers get is moaning and groaning about lost services and people who will have to be let go. Instead our local governments gave raises higher than the increase given to Social Security recipients.

Where was the fiscal restraint when the Hernando County budget increased more than 100 percent in six years while the population grew by 21 percent?

All of the estimates of doom and gloom are just that - estimates. The same rhetoric was used when federal tax cuts went into effect. The result has been more money than ever pouring into the U.S. Treasury, bringing down the deficit while we are continuing to fight a war on terror.

For proof that the lack of fiscal restraint is present at all levels of government, take for example the billions of dollars known as earmarks for useless expenditures such as a museum at Woodstock, N.Y.

The only way to get tax reform is to limit the amount of money government has to spend.

Vote "Yes" on Jan. 29 for Amendment 1.

Vote "Yes" to reduce your property taxes.

Vote "Yes" to send a message to our lawmakers in Tallahassee that the residents of Florida want more than tax relief next session.

Florida residents deserve tax reform, and Amendment 1 is the next best step to ensure that process continues.

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