[bale002]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

Property taxes tend to be inherently regressive ...

How do you figure that the Florida property tax system is inherently regressive? If indeed that is what you are figuring.

Basically the homestead exemption is worth around $1,000 per year in property tax savings.

Assuming that a low income taxpayer has a relatively low value house, the property tax exemption could be worth, I think, up to half of the amount otherwise due. That's a big relative savings.

The more expensive the house, the more the $1,000 in property tax savings pales into insignificance.

[The 3% ceiling on annual increase in assessed value is designed to smooth out property tax increases for residents over time, not eliminate them].

I think it would be regressive if the exemption were a percentage of the house's value, but it is a fixed amount, with greater proportional benefit, even much greater, to a relatively low value house.

On what concrete numbers do you base this assertion that Florida property taxes are regressive?

[PortCharlotteNewbie]

Unless real estate produces income, the tax becomes more burdensome over time as the tax payer has less income.

[beachmouse]

Originally Posted by bale002

How do you figure that the Florida property tax system is inherently regressive? If indeed that is what you are figuring.

Because at the end of the day, a lot of municipal services have certain fixed costs. So take two fire control districts that need a new fire truck that costs $500,000. Each district has 2,000 properties within. The truck will be purchased with property tax revenue. So each parcel will have to generate $250 for the fire truck. Assume homestead exemption is evenly distributed and already reflected in those numbers.

District A- average property value- $100,000. Each average property owner will pay 0.25% of property value for their share of the fire truck.

District B- average property value- $300,000. Each average property owner will pay 0.08% of the property value for their share of the fire truck.

So lower income people who live in areas where property values are lower often end up paying higher tax rates than people living in higher property value areas, who are often richer.

Florida is often a little bit better with this in terms of fairness because so many taxes are collected and distributed at the county level rather than city or township. In a place like metro Detroit, home values within the city of Detroit are so low that even though the tax rate is 2-3 times it is in adjacent suburbs, the revenue generated per property will be 20% of what it is in Dearborn or Wyandotte.

[bale002]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

Because at the end of the day, a lot of municipal services have certain fixed costs. So take two fire control districts that need a new fire truck that costs $500,000. Each district has 2,000 properties within. The truck will be purchased with property tax revenue. So each parcel will have to generate $250 for the fire truck. Assume homestead exemption is evenly distributed and already reflected in those numbers.

District A- average property value- $100,000. Each average property owner will pay 0.25% of property value for their share of the fire truck.

District B- average property value- $300,000. Each average property owner will pay 0.08% of the property value for their share of the fire truck.

So lower income people who live in areas where property values are lower often end up paying higher tax rates than people living in higher property value areas, who are often richer.

Florida is often a little bit better with this in terms of fairness because so many taxes are collected and distributed at the county level rather than city or township. In a place like metro Detroit, home values within the city of Detroit are so low that even though the tax rate is 2-3 times it is in adjacent suburbs, the revenue generated per property will be 20% of what it is in Dearborn or Wyandotte.

So, it sounds like you are saying that in certain tax/services districts in certain situations, lower income people pay a higher percentage of their property tax for basically the same services/assets as in other districts with higher income people.

But that's not true in all cases, such as large municipalities-tax/services districts where people paying lower property taxes enjoy more or less the same level of services as everyone else, at least in principle, such that the opposite occurs. I can provide at least several examples.

Therefore I am not sure how your example translates into a blanket statement that property taxes are inherently regressive.

Anyway, back on topic, I do not expect any major changes in the new legislature.

Nevertheless, I would encourage people in favor of legal marijuana, medical marijuana to start with, to lobby intelligently and reasonably, cutting deals where necessary, because that's the real world, and not like a bunch of adolescents whining that the world is unjust, and maybe it will come to pass sooner than later, and through the proper channels, which is indeed the statutes, like a sausage, and not a constitutional amendment.

[LIFL]

Originally Posted by OpinionInOcala

Florida's unique 'flavor' of conservatism has produced:

• Greater rates of poverty.
• Low high school graduation rates.
  • An undereducated culture that largely believes Florida's otherwise strong self-defense laws to proclaim that any perceived offense is justification for violent and/or excessive retaliation.
• Low wages and widespread maintenance thereof.
• Reliance upon sales tax to fund state government, to the detriment of its residents.
• On a state-by-state basis, it is among national leaders of:
  • Tax fraud.
  • Medicare fraud.
  • Auto accident fraud.
  • Identity theft.
  • Scams.
  • Sex offenders.
  • Careless motorists.
  • Per capita incarceration.
  • Corruption.
  • Homelessness.
  • Foreclosure.
  • STD rates.

I'm just curious as to how you reconcile the above with your statement (and apparent belief).

Highest corruption rate in the country. Florida! Florida! Florida!...

[LIFL]

Rick Scott is just an extension of the national conservative/Alec BS. I thought FL was blue; no it is good old red, with the same 1950s social views, 1980s fiscal policy, and low wage economy.