The TBRC's next big fight

Having approved the "tax swap" last week, the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission will vote Wednesday on a proposal to limit revenue and spending at all levels of government - a concept generally known as a Taxpayers Bill of Rights.

And the lobbying is intense.

Mac Stipanovich is working against the proposal for the Florida League of Cities and fired off a 10-page letter that explores "Athenian" and "Mirage" interpretations of what constitutes new taxes and fees before concluding TABOR is "positively dangerous" and a "radical indictment of the efficacy of representative government in Florida."

David Biddulph of Americans for Prosperity provides 10 reasons why commissioners should vote for the plan. No. 1: economic prosperity. Biddulph asserts that in Colorado, which adopted TABOR in 1992, personal income growth has climbed as a result. "Should the Commission favor an amendment that is likely to improve Floridians' standard of living?"

Comments

is Mac representing them as part of his firm or on his own?

Fascist corporate lackeys trying to destroy our government and hand our future over to unregulated growth.

Did Mac sign his 11-page letter "Zenator"?

A taxpayer's Bill of Rights is a great idea.

I fully support it. Put it on the ballot and let the voters decide.

Florida League of Cities & local governments want the ability to continue to spend like DRUNKEN SAILORS ON SHORE LEAVE.

[Ima Fedup]

Under a true "Taxpayer Bill of Rights", there would be no taxes. This seems to be extremely dangerous ground they are treading upon. The full extent of the impact from Amendment 1 has not yet been seen, and other issues such as the "CAT Fund" could have very expensive consequences. Seems to me that all of the facts should be known before something like this is considered.

for me, analysis and rhetoric will never mask the fact that they are talking about MY money that I earned for MY family that gets forcibly taken through taxes - why is that always forgotten in these discussions

people get more upset over ATM fees than they do over their personal liberty and property that is taken with every tax dollar that gets wasted

Colorado also suspended TABOR in 2005 because the government was going broke.

TaxWatch fanatics have about as much touch with reality as PETER PAN IN A CRACK HOUSE. Your policies have failed to accomplish anything except run our country into the ground. Give it a rest.

Problem Solved!

4:08 Get you head out of the sand. These TaxWatch types will refund your ATM fee to get you to turn over your bank account to their corporate backers. Local governments give you mcuh more in return for your tax dollars than a bunch of selfish greedy corporations, and if your still not satisfied - you can vote to put different folks in. Try that with the developer who's using gov't tax breaks to put up condos on your favorite beach or who's polluting your favorite lake because there are no gov't regulators left to stop him.

so 4:14 - why don't you just give all your income to the government - i'm sure that'd make you feel so warm, fuzzy, and superior to others now wouldn't it

4:10 is correct. We need to be very careful with proposals such as these. It could very likely backfire. And considering the Florida Legislature's track record, it's not a chance we ought to take without a GREAT DEAL of thought.

4:20

my favorite beach became my favorite beach because some developer built my house 30 years ago near that beach, prompting me to move there, and thus claim it my favorite beach.

Now, what right tdo I have to tell others they cannot come and perhaps find their favorite beach?

I say put TABOR on the November elections and let the people decide at the ballot box.

Yeah, because the voting system in Florida has worked so well up until now - let's rely on it to determine how we finance the state.

All those in favor of tabor have my permission to move to Colorado.

[chris]

I love all of these short-sighted fools who claim that this mandates 'budget cuts.' Even better is the bozo who said that 'a true taxpayers bill of rights would get rid of all taxes.'

Have any of you actually read the legislation? It doesn't cause ANY budget cuts and would allow government growth of around 5 - 7% a year.

If government want to grow faster than that, they would simply have to get the permission of the voters to create a new tax. They also have an option to get a 2/3 vote from their local govt. to exceed the cap.

Wow, how RADICAL and EXTREME.

Check your facts before you rant, children.

[NCAA]

Commissioner Nancy Reilly sold all the business interests down the river. Pay back for not supporting her losing bid for state house in Pinellas in 2006?

Since it is a minority of people who actually pay the taxes to provide all the wonderful stuff others vote themselves I can fully appreciate why TABOR would gain favor as it limits the amount of pandering that can be done on the taxpayers dime.

[Edmund Burke]

Odd conumdrum. We seem to have freely given up our right to influence elected officials and rarely do we see any contested elections. But on the other hand we rail against incumbency and then pass simplistic concepts like TABOR, supposedly giving power back to the people who should be exercising power through an election process in a republican form of government. Would it not be better to elect people who then choose not to grossly expand government and actually choose to be leaders instead of poll takers?