What Are Florida's Newspapers Saying?????
“Defeat of the amendment would be good for Florida, because it would increase the chances for real tax reform. There are many reasons to dislike the amendment. Chief among them is that the proposal would help most those taxpayers who need help the least, and would cost Florida's public school system about $3 billion over five years.”
-- Palm Beach Post editorial
“What the Legislature passed was not meaningful reform of a dysfunctional property-tax system. It was modest tax relief for Floridians who don't need it, embraced by Governor Crist because he wanted something on the ballot now, not later. There are lots of reasons for voters to pass it. Unfortunately, there aren't many good reasons.”
-- Palm Beach Post editorial
“The proposal and process that led to it fail the tests of good government and effective leadership. … The proposed amendment would not settle the inequities created by the Save Our Homes amendment, which is already on the books; in fact, it would compound those inequities.
-- Sarasota Herald-Tribune editorial
“If voters pass the property tax referendum in January, local governments will face more cuts. … The sloppy way this sausage is being made inspires no confidence. We're left with an unfair property tax system and the unintended consequences of changes made secretly and in a rush.”
-- Florida Times-Union editorial
“If you thought the cuts in services and programs during the last budget process, brought on by previous action by the Legislature and Crist, were bad, it's going to get even uglier. Our parks system will stagnate. Needed infrastructure improvements won't happen. Social services will suffer. Our schools won't be adequately funded. Police and fire protection will be reduced. Crist doesn't get that. Either that or he doesn't care.”
-- Florida Times-Union columnist Ron Littlepage
The ‘easy’ cuts have already been made; the next round and the round after that will surely be devastating for public education, social services, corrections and health care. What's it going to take to prod Crist and the Legislature into facing the root cause of Florida's fiscal problems; an antiquated sales tax system that is riddled with so many special interest loopholes that it unfairly taxes some while giving others a free ride.”
-- Gainesville Sun editorial
“This ballot measure is in trouble because it occupies an awkward middle ground. It does not offer enough tax cuts to satisfy tax-revolt voters. And it's too much of a tax cut for people who suspect they'll be the first ones hurt by budget cuts -- firefighters, police, municipal workers, teachers and parents of public school students. If anybody wants tax reform, not just tax cuts, this bundle doesn't have much going for it.”
-- Daytona Beach News-Journal columnist Mark Lane.
“A panicked, desperate Florida Legislature squandered a golden opportunity to lead the way toward meaningful tax reform and significant relief for taxpayers who need it most. The constitutional amendment it placed on the January ballot costs too much for too little gain and creates more inequities in a property tax system that already is grossly unfair. It lacks vision and focus, and Floridians deserve better.”
-- St. Petersburg Times editorial
“It would have been better had the Florida Senate and House both stayed home. As it was, the Senate convened just long enough to slap together a property-tax plan that, while not nearly as radical as its predecessors, still adds up to a scaled-back sampler of the worst of all those plans. It doesn't fix anything. It exacerbates existing problems with the tax structure, even if less gravely.”
-- Daytona Beach News-Journal editorial
“Everyone agrees Florida's tax policies are antiquated and need a major overhaul. The best way to do that was for the Legislature to take a top-to-bottom look at inequities in the system and put in place well-thought-out solutions. Instead, everyone got a chaotic special session marked by backroom meetings, secret deals and an alpha-dog showdown between the Senate and House.
-- Florida Today editorial
“The truth is this tax-cutting measure wasn't intended to reform Florida's tax structure. It was intended to fulfill the governor's campaign promise to cut property taxes. Had lawmakers really wanted to create a fair system, they would have handed it off to the tax and budget commission, an appointed panel, and pushed for their recommendations. But this constitutional amendment is not that. It is a slogan for campaign 2008. It may not be good policy, but it's great politics.”
-- Daytona Beach News-Journal columnist Pamela Hasterok
“Unlike a suppository, this medicine will swell up, not dissolve. Voters should not bend over and accept it. They should stand tall and demand reforms that help the taxpayers most in need of help.”
-- Tampa Tribune editorial
