April 16: Heading for a crisis

This is the first of what will be a few calls on my part for the public to vote against an amendment that will be disastrous for Florida.

This November, voters will consider whether to eliminate the current property tax system of paying for budget items in favor of an increase by a penny in the sales tax.

There were comments at today's Miami-Dade County School Board meeting about why it's a bad idea.

Property taxes are a relatively fixed source of income. Sales taxes are more subject to economic whims. The burden of sales taxes falls mostly on the poor. A second source is tourists - a source that would go out the window in the event of a hurricane, terrorist threat or other emergency.

Yes, there is a housing and subprime mortgage crisis, and the property tax level is a problem. But the state's mismanagement of funds is a bigger problem. Eliminating the intangibles tax and giving too many undeserved tax breaks is part of what got Florida into its current mess. The proposed amendment would make the mess far bigger.

More to come.....