[Goldwingnut]

Originally Posted by AzAuSenior

For both of the tax items (10% sales / 25% property tax increase), there is a permanent answer. We must take citizen self-action. The sooner the better. The solution takes a long time and there no other approaches to a permanent solutions.
We are a retirement state and our senior citizens are especially vulnerable to tax increases. Many are on fixed incomes or even worse have finite financial resources and can’t cope with double digit percentage cost increases. We can stop this process now to protect our future tax costs.
The state of Florida allows for referendum (Google: “Florida Referendum” for information on Florida State Referendum). We must take citizen action to make laws to protect ourselves as was done in California in 1978 with Proposition 13 (the People's Initiative to Limit Property Taxation). The 1978 Proposition 13 (Google: "1978 California Propostion-13" for information about Limit Property Taxation Referendum) is referred to as a “taxpayer revolt”. It was brought about by hefty tax increases as are proposed for Sumter County.
We must protect ourselves, as was done in California, by using the Florida process for referendum to make legislation that protects the taxpayers from exorbitant tax increases as was done with the 1978 Proposition 13. We must modify Proposition 13 to suit our needs to protect taxpayers from current and future tax increases and pass the modified Proposition by Florida state Referendum.
The pressure is on and the time to get a referendum passed is years. As more and more people relocate to Florida, state and local government will want to jump to the easy solution: raise taxes. A taxpayer referendum will stop this process. No more maneuvers like: raising the tax rate one year followed by raising the assessment the next year and then repeating the cycle to move tax increase passed the taxpayers. A modified form of Proposition 13 passed by Referendum in Florida will not allow a taxpayer’s bottom line taxes to be increased by a fixed amount as specified by the new Referendum.

And what services do you propose cutting? If the revenue doesn't match the expenses either the revenue has to go up or the expenses have to go down. You are apposed to the proposed increases to fund the current spending plan so what austerity measures are proposed?

Don't use the favorite of many in Washington of raising taxes on businesses, businesses don't pay taxes, they collect them and pass the money on to the government. Everything we buy or do with our money goes to a business, when you add an extra layer or two on to the tax/revenue stream it always costs more than without the middleman. The bottom line is we, the consumer/taxpayer, end up paying more.

The current 24% is the maximum and does not reflect all the budgetary numbers to determine the final amount. It will be less.

The budget proposed reflect 14 years of public officials patting themselves on the back for no tax increases, now it comes back to haunt them. It also reflects 14 years of public disinterest, of not getting involved, of citizens not carrying out their own basic civic responsibilities. Doubt my words, check the normally monthly attendance of the county board meetings or CDD meeting. Thousands of residents and hardly a one makes the time to get involved. We are all to blame for the pending tax increase. It's time to make some hard decisions.