It's been a tough year for Main Street's merchants. The economy is bad, nearby strip malls continue to siphon customers from the city's downtown thoroughfare, and then there's the ongoing, problem-plagued drainage project. ...more

October 19, 2007

SEBRING — 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. ...more

October 10, 2007

Now that the Florida Legislature's much-touted property tax relief proposal is in limbo, it is time to take stock and consider alternatives. A proposal created by the state's county property appraisers, which advocates a universal tax break for all property owners , sounds practical and something that could be considered in part if a new plan is ever created. But for this and some other proposals to survive, the Legislature and the voters have to ask themselves a tough question: Is saving Save Our Homes Amendment worth the price it has extracted? ...more

October 9, 2007

SEBRING — When it comes to property tax relief, which the Legislature has promised but not fully provided yet, the state's county property appraisers are giving the lawmakers two bits of advice. First, simple is much better than complicated. And second, a universal tax break is better than knocking taxes down for some types of property but not for others. Highlands County Property Appraiser Raymond McIntyre said those two points are the foundation of the proposal which the Property Appraisers Association of Florida is passing on to the Legislature. McIntyre, recently elected president of the appraisers association, said the group is calling for a five percent per year reduction in assessed tax value on all property for the next five years. ...more

October 9, 2007

A lot of angry senior citizens want to know why potential property tax breaks were not known to them until an article appeared in the paper telling them about it. They have a right to be upset. Information about these tax breaks should be well known and not a surprise to so many people. Besides being cranky about not knowing about the tax breaks, many seniors are upset that the county only offers 1/10th of the tax break that state law allows under Save Our Seniors. The breaks could be as much as $50,000, but in Highlands County the maximum qualified homeowners can get is $5,000 off the taxable value. ...more

September 21, 2007

SEBRING — Two questions are being raised about the "Save Our Seniors" property tax discount, passed statewide by voters in 1998 to help lower-income homeowners age 65 and up. First: Should Highlands County commissioners raise this tax break? Highlands County offers 1/10th of the maximum level of this tax relief, available to seniors with annual household income of $23,600 or lower. The commissioners authorize it at a $5,000 reduction in the taxable value of a homestead house. The constitutional amendment creating Save Our Seniors originally gave cities and counties the option of reducing homestead taxable value by up to $25,000. A year ago, the state Legislature adjusted the maximum up to $50,000. ...more

September 16, 2007

Low-income seniors in Hillsborough County probably will get an additional property tax reduction of about $87 per household starting in 2008. ...more

September 7, 2007

Regarding 'Tax Break For Seniors Sought' (Metro, Sept. 2): According to the proposal, 'To be eligible, applicants would need to be 65 years or older and have an annual income of less than $24,000.' ...more

September 5, 2007