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Highlands Today

Appraiser: New Tax Plan = $4.4 Million Loss

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By Jim  Konkoly | Highlands Today

Published: October 10, 2007

The state Legislature's new plan for property tax relief — doubling the homestead exemption — would cost Highlands County government more in lost revenue than the lawmakers' original super exemption plan.

Highlands County Property Appraiser Raymond McIntyre delivered that news to the county commissioners Tuesday morning.

Doubling the homestead exemption from the current $25,000 to $50,000 off taxable value would cost Highlands County government $4.4 million in lost revenue, McIntyre reported.

That figure is above the estimated $4.1 million revenue loss for the county if the super exemption, now scrapped, had been approved, he said.

McIntyre, along with Commissioners Barbara Stewart and Guy Maxcy, criticized the legislators' new plan because it helps only homesteaded home owners. All three pointed out that it doesn't help other groups of property owners who are hard pressed by higher taxes, including business owners and landlords.

"They are seriously concerned about whether they can make it another year in business," McIntyre said, referring to owners of businesses and rental units who complain to him about being left out of the Legislature's property tax relief plans.

Maxcy commented, "Any time you give a tax break to only one group, it (tax burden) is shifted to the people without the tax breaks."

Rental properties have no property tax breaks now, and so landlords either have to raise rents or lose income as rising property values lead to higher tax bills, McIntyre said.

"To me," Stewart commented, "affordable renting is going to be more extremely important in the future."

McIntyre said he is not against raising the homestead exemption, a tax break which is enjoyed by more than 25,300 homeowners in Highlands County.

"I just would like to see some broad relief brought for the other property owners to help them out of the situation they're in," he said. Without tax relief for all classes of property, he said, "the inequity continues to swell."

On Monday, McIntyre spoke to the Highlands County Homeowners Association about across-the-board property tax relief recommended by the Property Appraisers Association for Florida."

The appraisers' organization suggests a 5 percent reduction on assessed taxable valuation on all properties each year for five years.

McIntyre said the Legislature is turning a deaf ear to that idea.

"We still think our plan is a good plan that has a lot of merit," he said. But, he added, "we're not getting anywhere in Tallahassee."

Reports from the state capital, McIntyre said, indicate legislators appear set on putting a constitutional amendment on the Jan. 29 primary election ballot to double the homestead exemption and provide some type of portability for the Save Our Homes protection against higher taxes.

"The Legislature continues to give (tax) breaks in valuation and caps to the same group of property owners over and over," McIntyre said.

"That's fine" as far it goes, he said, but it doesn't help other hard-pressed taxpayers.

"Being on the front lines and dealing with property owners daily," McIntyre said, "I hear the plight of the groups of property owners who are afforded no exemptions and no caps –– i.e., the business owners and the rental property owners and the vacant land owners ... and it's the same for second home owners."

Whatever tax relief plan the legislators decide on, they must adopt it by Oct. 31 in order to get it on the Jan. 29 ballot.

McIntyre questions whether important tax relief issues should be put on that ballot, because some predictions are that voter turnout may be as low as 20 percent, due to the problems in the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries.

"It's frightful to think of two out of 10 voters deciding the future of our county and of our state," McIntyre.

Maxcy had one suggestion.

"I guess the best thing to say is, 'Folks, call and talk to your legislators,'" he added.

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