How are you going to Vote on Amendment 1?

Not one of you supports the elimination of SOH. It's bad law, because it benefits an entitled class. All of this back and forth on voting no or yes is window dressing hiding your own greed.

Now this type of talk just burns my a**!!

My greed huh?? You think wanting some of my money back from a goverment that STEALS from you in the first place is a bad idea?? I work in south Walton and live in South Walton in a house that has lost 400,000 dollars in equity the last two years and you don't think I deserve a little relief from those freaking ninnies in Gov'Mint?

If you got too much disposible cash I advise you to go down on 30A and start handing it out. I for one DO NOT put all of my trust in "so called" officals I continue to see WASTE our hard earned dollars on foolish pet projects that benefit few...a few examples you say???

----$260,000 [and growing] in signs that tell you, your are--- where you are.

-----275,000 for cross walks that don't work.


-----The Greenway Trail winds around South Walton High School and neighboring areas.

The county paid $650,000 for the trail, which has been in the works since 1999 but was delayed because of legal issues dealing with the county?s property around the South Walton Courthouse Annex, Meadows said.

And a multitude of others AND I STILL DON'T HAVE A DECENT PLAYGROUND FOR MY KIDS.

VOTE YES IT'S A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

SOH should never have been passed in the first place, but it did because of greed and the 50 percent threshold. No one has a firm grip on the "fix". Of all the posters here, who has recommended getting rid of the source of the problem? You folks are arguing over minutiae that won't change the source of the problem. It's not government in this case...it's bad law.

I disagree with you.

Here's an article from Tampa with another slant:

Better than nothing; is that good enough?
By HOWARD TROXLER
Published January 3, 2008

Maybe you are thinking:

"Thank goodness that the holidays are over! Now I can turn my full attention to figuring out this property tax thing on the Jan. 29 ballot."

Hey, that's just what I was thinking, too! This is a big decision. So, let's take a look.

Amendment 1 would do four things:

(1) It would increase Florida's "homestead" tax exemption. The way it works now, we don't tax the first $25,000 of a home's value. The new total tax break would vary, but a typical figure is $40,000.

(2) The amendment also would change the rules for the "Save Our Homes" tax break for homesteads. The tax break would become "portable," or transferable to a new home.

(3) Businesses would get a little help as well, a tax exemption for their first $25,000 of tangible personal property.

(4) All nonhomestead property also would get a cap of 10 percent a year on how fast its taxable value could go up. That's not as good as the 3 percent cap homeowners have, but it's better than the double-digit jumps of recent years.

Now to the pros and cons.

Before we go through the reasons to vote against it, be sure to remember the really good reasons to vote for it.

Hey, look, it's a tax cut. Millions of Floridians will get a bigger break. Nonhomestead property, including businesses, will get a little help, and protection against future double-digit hikes.

Maybe we should do other reform later, according to this line of argument. But at least Amendment 1 is a start.

As a second reason for voting yes, some people hope the "portable" tax break under Save Our Homes will help the real estate market, since people no longer have to stay in their old home to keep their tax break.

Now, for some of the arguments against Amendment 1:

It gives the most help to homeowners, who already get the best tax break, and it gives the least help to those who need it most.

It doesn't fix the underlying unfairness in Florida's tax structure.

It doesn't reverse any of the big local government tax increases of recent years.

It gives the average homeowner an insultingly small break, a couple of hundred bucks a year.

It doesn't do enough for business.

It might even make future tax reform harder to pass.

It would require even deeper cuts in local services, in exchange for a fairly small savings for the typical taxpayer.

Whew! That is a lot of criticism. But even if it all is true, there's still the "better than nothing" argument.

My own thinking is that the Legislature took the easy way out with Amendment 1.

Instead of a thoughtful, coherent reform, the Legislature held a quick three-day session in October, threw in a higher tax break for homeowners, stuck on a couple of sops to business, and called it quits. This is a shallow way to run the state.

If you like the arguments for voting yes, and you agree that this is better than nothing, then go right ahead, and I will cheer for you.

But me, I kinda hope the voters shoot it down and tell the Legislature: Try again, and do it better.

-----------------------------------

By the way, Charlie would like you to give $10 to help foot the bill to advertise 'your' tax cut: http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/03/images/yeson1.pdf

Apparently he didn't get enough from his NYC $1,000-a-person fundraiser hosted by Donald Trump. :roll:

http://www.theledger.com/article/20071208/NEWS/712080390/1004


.

they really think we're schmucks don't they? pay no attention to the man behind the curtain............

outcome? anyone?

outcome? anyone?

Yes on 1 passes.

McCain

Clinton

Yes on 1 passes.

McCain

Clinton

thanks, I dont have local channels. (direct tv)

thanks, I dont have local channels. (direct tv)

np

http://enight.dos.state.fl.us/

I voted Yea

Yes on 1 passes.

Surely there's an appropriate P.T. Barnum quote...

Surely there's an appropriate P.T. Barnum quote...

Look out sir, that elephant just took a shi...

Hi, my name is Mouse, and I'm now every Florida municipality's worst nightmare. I live in one of the lowest tax rate counties in the state right now, and I'm taking my low, low property taxes with me wherever I move in the state for hopefully the next 50 years.

So Brevard County, Palm Beach County , or Hillsborough County, if I move there in the next couple of years, you're not going to get $6K a year from me in taxes like you would from someone who moved here from New York, but instead you get my annual contribution of $29.95 for fire protection. Maybe if I'm feeling generous, I'll kick in an extra $5 for the road department to fix the pothole down the road.

My Brother: So, how should I vote on that Amendment?

Me: I'm voting no.

My Brother: I can't even understand it. What will it do?

Me: I don't know, I can't understand it either. It seems like a crappy piece of legislation they slopped together.

My Brother: How'd you decide to vote no?

Me: Shelly said to.

My Brother: Who's Shelly?

Me: I don't know, just do what he says.

My Brother: So, how should I vote on that Amendment?

Me: I'm voting no.

My Brother: I can't even understand it. What will it do?

Me: I don't know, I can't understand it either. It seems like a crappy piece of legislation they slopped together.

My Brother: How'd you decide to vote no?

Me: Shelly said to.

My Brother: Who's Shelly?

Me: I don't know, just do what he says.

My Brother: So, how should I vote on that Amendment?

Me: I'm voting no.

My Brother: I can't even understand it. What will it do?

Me: I don't know, I can't understand it either. It seems like a crappy piece of legislation they slopped together.

My Brother: How'd you decide to vote no?

Me: Shelly said to.

My Brother: Who's Shelly?

Me: I don't know, just do what he says.

THAT IS FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:funn:

Case Closed! No more work to be done. The Florida Legislature has fixed that little tax problem for all you poor fools, uhm folks. ...again.

Hi, my name is Mouse, and I'm now every Florida municipality's worst nightmare. I live in one of the lowest tax rate counties in the state right now, and I'm taking my low, low property taxes with me wherever I move in the state for hopefully the next 50 years.

So Brevard County, Palm Beach County , or Hillsborough County, if I move there in the next couple of years, you're not going to get $6K a year from me in taxes like you would from someone who moved here from New York, but instead you get my annual contribution of $29.95 for fire protection. Maybe if I'm feeling generous, I'll kick in an extra $5 for the road department to fix the pothole down the road.

And it appears that you have absolutely no idea how portability works in this case.