Everyone in Florida knows that property tax reform is necessary. As a result, the state government has put a Constitutional amendment on the ballot January 29th. Unfortunately, Florida TaxWatch, a non-partisan organization, says the amendment won’t accomplish what is needed.

TALLAHASSEE — Amendment 1, the proposed constitutional amendment on Florida property taxes, does not target relief to those who need it most, perpetuates an inequitable system and exacerbates the tax shift to those taxpayers who have suffered the most. This is the conclusion of Florida TaxWatch, which today released its analysis of the amendment that will be considered by voters on January 29.

The report, “Amendment 1 on Property Taxes Is Not True Reform and Is Likely to Do More Harm than Good,” reveals a serious flaw in the amendment that would allow local governments to immediately recoup any lost revenue that taxpayers would gain under the amendment.

The report also states that the “portability” provision may well run afoul of the United States Constitution, according to the expert constitutional advice commissioned by the Legislature. Further, Florida TaxWatch warns that passage of the amendment could mean the end of true property tax reform.

“Florida can, and must, do better,” said Dominic M. Calabro, President & CEO of the nonprofit taxpayer research group Florida TaxWatch. “Sound advice for amending the constitution is ‘when in doubt, leave it out.’ For Amendment 1, we are convinced it is more than just doubt. There is plenty of evidence that this is not the right thing for Florida’s taxpayers and economy.”

The new property tax amendment falls far short of what is needed, according to the report. There are a number of reasons why:

• The plan gives most of the relief to those who need it the least (long-term Save Our Homes property), while giving very little to those that have seen their taxes rise the most (non-homestead property).

• It will perpetuate the current system and exacerbate the shift of tax burden from homestead to non-homestead property. It will also continue to shift tax burden to new homeowners.

• While some solution to portability is needed, there are serious constitutional concerns about providing it.

• The 10% cap for non-homestead property is so high as to be of little value to most properties.

• The $9.3 billion five-year taxpayer savings estimate is likely overstated. The proposal does not restrict local governments’ ability to increase millage rates to recoup revenue losses, thereby lessening the savings for some and shifting more tax burden to others.

• And perhaps most importantly, if the voters approve this new amendment, future attempts to reform non-homestead property taxes will be extremely difficult.

The report also includes assessments made by legal and economic experts who were hired by the Legislature to advise it on property tax issues. A legal expert warns of “100% certainty” of a constitutional challenge to the amendment on the grounds that portability violates the U.S. Commerce Clause.

“This proposed amendment will make a bad situation worse,” say noted economists who are quoted in the report. “It is a cure worse than the disease.”

“Undoubtedly, Florida’s property tax system is in desperate need of reform,” said Kurt Wenner, Florida TaxWatch Director of Tax Research. “Unfortunately, the Legislature’s need to pass something people will vote for, coupled with a sincere desire to help Floridians who cannot afford to move because of higher taxes, resulted in a proposal that is not only unsatisfactory but also likely to be detrimental.”

Click here for an electronic copy of the report.

Update – The Conductor at Babalublog also is opposed to the amendment.

Primary season is coming to Florida, although I guess it would be considered primary-lite.  The Democrats are not campaigning here, the DNC says it will not allow Florida delegates at the convention, and the RNC says it will allow only half of Florida’s delegates to attend.  I seldom watch television, but I do listen to the radio a lot, and the only campaign ads I’ve heard at all are from Ron Paul.

A new poll shows John McCain has leapt to the lead in Florida. Previously most folks were giving Florida to Rudy Giuliani.  I’ve always wondered how Giullani would do in the world outside the Northeast.  He’s billed himself as “America’s Mayor” as though that is something to be proud of.  Perhaps in the big cities of the northeast, a mayor is an admired figure, but in most of the flyover country I’ve lived in, the mayor is, at best, of only minor importance to the lives of the populace. In most, the mayor is a clown – sometimes benevolent, sometimes malicious, but usually a clown. And that’s how Giullani is branding himself.

From Net For Cuba:

URGENT FROM CANALETA PRISON, CIEGO DE AVILA. CUBA

Havana, January 9, 2008- Antonio (Tony Díaz) Sánchez is besieged by prison authorities and due to his hunger strike protest, he was taken from the 5 and a half meter by five meter cell that he crowdedly shared with 27 other political prisoners and 9 bunks, to live with highly dangerous common prisoners.

This is a practice of maximum punishment that is sophisticatedly organized by the prison authorities in order to intimidate and to expose the prisoner to the most barbarian attacks by high risk delinquents, criminals.

We can use as an example the case of Rolando Jiménez, a Varela Project organizer who is currently serving a sentence at the Guayaba prison, on the Isle of Youth.

Rolando was first lieutenant in the Ministry of Interior. He was the legal counsel in charge of processing prosecutions against drug trafficking and in a recent “roundtable” program he was attacked by the journalist Lázaro Barredo. He responded courageously to Barredo’s insults. In retaliation, on December 31 the regime put Rolando in a cell to live with common prisoners and provoked these prisoners so that they gave Rolando a severe beating that left him disfigured.

We alert the international community, institutions responsible for the defense of human rights, and governments and authorities to demand that the Cuban government pay immediate attention and restore the rights that Antonio (Tony) Díaz Sánchez and other political prisoners are entitled to in prison as they are subjected to a level of repression in these moments that has never been seen before.

Oswaldo J. Paya Sardiñas
Christian Liberation Movement (MCL)

For more information or to obtain a copy of the press release, please contact: Julio Hernández or Francisco De Armas, International Representatives, Christian Liberation Movement, (787) 549-1805, mcl2004jhs@yahoo.com, fdamcl@cs.com

The Courier Mail from Australia reports on a record setting occurrence. The report says an American woman, Terri Comer, of Oregon has blown the highest blood alcohol level ever recorded.

A WOMAN found in a car in a snowdrift with the engine running had a blood alcohol level of .72 per cent, nine times greater than the legal limit for driving.

As usual, the comments on the linked article are very interesting.