'Tax swap' headed toward ballot

House Speaker Marco Rubio shares a celebratory moment with TBRC member Patricia Levesque.

UPDATE: The proposal passed 21-4. Dissenting votes were cast by Barney Barnett, Mark Bostick, Randy Miller and Greg Turbeville.

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A tax swap appears headed to the November ballot.

After hours of debate, the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission is close to voting on a proposal to eliminate school property taxes -- which make up 25 or more percent of an overall tax bill -- in favor of a 1 cent sales tax increase and other revenue sources.

"The people grabbed relief on Jan 29. but they are still clamoring for reform, true reform," said commission member Darryl Rouson.

Passage would represent a victory for former Sen. John McKay, who first broached the idea, and House Speaker Marco Rubio, who attempted something similar last year only to get rebuffed by the Senate. "You're our last hope," Rubio urged the 25-member panel. "If you’re waiting on the Florida Legislature to cut taxes, it isn't going to happen."

But Randy Miller of the Florida Retail Federation blasted the idea as light on details and full of problems. "A sales tax is a regressive tax, there's no way around it. ... It's not good for the economy."

While the "required local effort" for schools is currently about $8-billion, it will be more than $9-billion in 2011, Miller and others said, while the sales tax increase will not generate as much. That leaves a major hole for the Legislature to fill.

"It offers a lot of risk, particularly at this time when we're trying to come out of a scary economic situation," said Kurt Wenner of Florida TaxWatch.

While McKay's plan once seemed doomed, it was amended several times and no longer requires a mandatory look at a tax on services.

Comments

[Mark nailor]

Great Idea, every where I look all I see are people from Canada or from the north. Let them pay the taxes, Let everyone pay a little for the school.

Boy-o-Boy… you Republicons have it all figured out don’t ya! Let’s see…

We can solve illegal immigration by destroying our public school system, so that all middle and lower class kids can go to work in the fields for $7 and-hour.

We can privatize education so that all rich white kids can get an education. (We allow a darkie or two just to maintain the illusion)

Now, if we can just figure a way to eradicate all other people who aren’t white, rich, fat, pasty, perverted, and pretend Christians… then ‘Merika will be just like we always planed it would be!

Oh wait… we’ll need to keep a few hundred thousand darkies and po folks around to fight our profit-driven wars and clean our stuff.

[Tony]

Schools are going to suffer. $8 billion one year in revenue, $9 billion the next, $7 billion or $6 billion the next. How are they going to be able to plan for the future. Our education system sucks!!! This is going to make it worse.

4:25 you're out of your mind. But, keep it up. The more uninformed and ridiculous comments you make, the smarter you make us "republicans" look.

Tax the poor! Relief for the Wealthy! Success!

3:12, Neither Rouson nor the Legislature can give Floridians any true tax reform. Don't blame me because you're an idiot who buys this bs

Fixing Insurance would be better than amendment 1 by far.

You're just another political hack... or Daryl!

4:58 you're out of your mind. But, keep it up. The more uninformed and ridiculous comments you make, the smarter you make us "democrats" look.

Jessica - Rouson was the co-sponsor of the proposal, along with Senator Mckay. Mckay has led on this issue for some time.

[Tammy]

Tony, our school system "sucks" because parents and children do not CARE about education....

Parents are just happy to warehouse their children in a facility during the day....Did you not notice that when a teacher expects "better" out of the children in his/her class, the parents get angry at the TEACHER....Parents don't want homework, they don't want tests....And kids don't want to be bothered going to school..

Throwing all the money in the world at schools will not make them any better...Personal responsibility will enrich children - make them better citizens and make for a better future for all....But this is not happening...

Maybe we should pay PARENTS if their children do well in school...Maybe that will make parents care but short of that, parents/teachers/students just do not care........And frankly, I'd rather keep my money than wasting it on the school system...

Now with this plan, I am free of "educating" children who do not care about being educated...

[Jessica]

1:47 is really confused...This proposal for the Nov election has nothing to do with Amendment #1 and saving $240 - this has the potential to save people thousands...and with the bad economic news today (almost a run on the banks), it is desperately needed by the citizens of this state

Tom, don't you have TBRC staff work to do?

Review sales tax exemptions - Jeb must feel like he's in a parallel universe.

[geo]

Lets Have a tax on teachers that have sex with their students we will more than make up the 9 billion lol

isn't it great to see people taking credit for others'long hard work?

i love politics!

Hey Randy Miller,

Jeb's not around anymore to protect your business' special interests.

Stop your whining, take your toys and go home.

Signed,

The People

Way to hang in there McKay

This is super news! If Amendment 1 passed with 64%, this great plan could top 70-80%.

Bravo TRBC, McKay & Speaker Rubio!

2:12pm,

Don't worry, funding of education is not done county by county. The state will fund all counties regardless of how much businesses they do. This is the way most states do it. Education should be funded at the state level!

[John]

this is the e-mail i sent to my friends & family:

Dear Friends & Families,

We have great news today. Working with FL Republican Speaker of the House Marco Rubio & the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, we have now finally put a property tax relief amendment on the November ballot that has teeth to bring meaningful relief & reform to Floridians. The blue-ribbon TBRC passed this on a 21-4 vote, and now it is up to us, Florida voters to finally bring Gov Crist's motto of "property taxes dropping like a rock" to reality. If this Amendment passes in November, each and every property owner WOULD see their property taxes drop nearly 33% no exceptions.

In the coming weeks and months, you will be bombarded by liberal newspapers across Florida, local governments, lobbyist, and unions trying to scare you just like prior to Amendment 1 passing. Do not listen to their rambles, as we know, local government budgets have gone up insanely 100%+ in only a few years while inflation has only gone up around 2-3% annually. The people of Florida sent a mandate to politicians on January 29th with the passage of Amendment 1 with 64% support. Now it is up to us again to finish the job in November.

Here is detail of the amendment by the Miami Herald that will be on the November ballot:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_dade/story/459822.html


Best Wishes,

John

(On a side note, Floridian has never in it's history passed up a property tax relief at the ballot.)

[Dee]

Good to see these association lobbyist get cast aside for once. Miller makes me want to buy less and shop out of state when I do.

I can't wait to vote YES for this plan!!!

Now property taxes might drop like a rock.

Good job Mr. McKay

Everyone that says that renters pay property taxes through their rent, it may not actually be true. It really depends on how you look at it.

Let's say property taxes on a rental went up a lot. If the landlord raised rent especially in a housing glut, they may not be able to rent it. So they may keep rent the same or may even lower it. Well, one could say the property taxes is included in the rent or one could say the property taxes in not in the rent but the investment income is in the rent. So one cannot really tell. The only thing for sure is, the renter did not physically pay any property taxes.

If this proposal passes, around 25% of the taxes will be paid by tourists that use our state services.

I LOVE THIS AMENDMENT.

MARCO IS THE MAN!!

[Jim]

Marco Rubio for Governor!!!

Sunshine violations:
Les Miller and Nancy Riley
Chair Bense when he instructed members to "work things out" BEHIND the scenes - and they did - OUTSIDE of the sunshine.
Some guy in Pensacola went to jail for it. Are these three next?

[Kim]

It is nothing more then changing hands. Then here in Pinellas the idiots will vote for another tax increas so you do not win. My goodness we have voted for a penny for Pinellas for three times. It was to run a bile trail. It is now part of the many cites of Pinellas general fund. It is a gold mine. Will they give it up no.
They won't feed the poor or help the poor and the mental ill. They are just greed. The more they can get the more they want. We have less students but we are building new schools. Spend each penny so you can cry you have no money to get more.

Maybe after we passed this amendment, we can vote to recind Penny for Pinellas and the extra property taxes for teachers pay. Both are bogus money grabs.

John McKay fought the most unpopular, uphill battle anyone could ever face with the sales tax exemptions and after all these years his perseverance paid off.

Way to go Senator McKay!

[Buzzard]

Tax advertising.

[URSCUM]

5:02 That's a great idea, Problem Solved! Now crawl back under your taxwatch rock until your master instructs you to cut and paste more fascist drivel.

Randy Miller must really be pissed and he will get back. That is his style