Home > Blogs > Katerina Gasset > Get It Done For Me Virtual Services, UTAH REALTOR

Tax Update and Call To Action For All Floridian Voters

By Katerina Gasset

Real Estate Agent with The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services 13253167-SA00

October 26, 2007 04:41 AM

I am a strong believer that you do have a voice. I also believe that if you do not have the right to complain about the way things are if you do not exercise your right to vote and to do what you can do to change the thing you are complaining about. What can you do? You can email, fax, call and write your state representatives, senators and congressmen and women.

The house has passed a property tax relief bill and now it is in the Senate. If you remember the last time the house passed a bill regarding doing something about our property taxes here in Florida the senate would not agree to it and then they watered it down to the point where it was really worthless. Then a judge in Florida threw this bill out saying that the wording is not clear and that Floridians may not understand what they are voting for.

So now they had to start over again in a special session and here is what is on the table right now:

The House passed an $11 Million tax relief proposal:

Saves our Preserves Our Homes act.

Allows Portability of accumulated SOH benefits.

Provides a "Guaranteed Save Our Homes Benefit" for all homestead properties.

Provides a 5% assessment cap for all non-homestead and commercial properties.

Creates a new Tangible Personal Property Exemption of $25,000.

Provides for limitations on assessed values for affordable homes and working waterfronts.

Instills accountability requiring local property tax appraisers to be elected.

Both chambers have different proposals and now they have to compromise and agree by October 29th or else this will not be on the January 29th ballot.

While some of these are good measures there is still a lot more that needs to be done. I have a seller who just moved up to Georgia and he is in a brand new subdvision and told me that everyone on his block and the next are from Florida. They left because of the high taxes and insurance. Our State needs to get a clue! Many states have already passed meaningful relief for their residents. Tell your elected officials to Step up to the plate!

Call to action: If you are a Florida resident please contact your Senator right away with a phone call, email or a fax to let them know they must do more to relieve the tax burden of the residents of Florida.

You can go to www.myfloridahouse.gov for more details.

Contact Nestor and Katerina Gasset, CIPS, Realtors®, International Properties and Investments, Inc. Licensed Realtors® in Florida at 561-753-0135 to list your property for sale or to purchase a property in Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach and the rest of Palm Beach County Florida. We are accepting referrals.

Visit our profile to find out more about our services. Call us today at 561.753.0135 or Toll Free 800.444.3316. Contact us by email if you prefer by clicking on email me on the right side of this page under our photo. To view all the Wellington Fl Luxury Homes For Sale Click here and then click on Multiple Listing Search where the globe is on the right side of the screen that opens up. We know Palm Beach County and will help you get your home Sold if you need to Sell your home and help you buy your Wellington Florida Home; call us today.

Comments(12)

Comment

Show All Comments

Sort:

Barbara-Jo Roberts Berberi, MA, PSA, TRC - Greater Clearwater Florida Residential Real Estate Professional

Charles Rutenberg Realty - Clearwater, FL

Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Clearwater, Safety Harbor

That is the great part about living in this country - YOU CAN TAKE PART IN THE GOVERNMENT - enough people do not take advantage of it! GREAT post!!!

Oct 26, 2007 06:53 AM

Katerina Gasset

The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services - Provo, UT

Amplify Your Real Estate & Life Dreams!

Barbara-Jo & Bill - - Florida Realty Professional - AHWD

Barbara and Bill- Yes, you can! I have emailed all our leaders about doing more for our tax relief. Katerina

Oct 26, 2007 07:17 AM

William "Billy B" Berthiaume II

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services - West Palm Beach, FL

I have been putting my 2 cents in every since I was 18 years old. I believe it is my right as an American and one of the most important. Of course less government and less taxes would be great too! I have sent emails and letters on this very subject. It is of major importance for me being a homeowner and a Realtor.

Oct 26, 2007 07:23 AM

Terry Haugen STAGE it RIGHT! 321-956-2495

Stage it Right! - Melbourne, FL

So now there's a possibility we will have to property tax proposals two vote on in Jan. The old one, just in case, and the new one, just in case the old one doesn't pass. I'm voting NO on either, all or both. Do I think the legislature is just trying to confuse us into submission? YES! Can you imagine how many people will be standing in the voting booth trying to figure out which is which and what if people vote yes on both. Give me a break. More pandering by the legislature and Charlie Crist. Stick a fork in them, they're done as far as I'm concerned.

Oct 26, 2007 07:30 AM

Katerina Gasset

The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services - Provo, UT

Amplify Your Real Estate & Life Dreams!

William "Billy B" Berthiaume II

Thank you Billy. Sorry about not getting your call yesterday, got tied up on an appointment with an investor that just came up and it took longer than planned, we had no idea how many properties he is listing! I will have to get this all in order and get back to you next week. Katerina

Oct 26, 2007 07:33 AM

Katerina Gasset

The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services - Provo, UT

Amplify Your Real Estate & Life Dreams!

Terry Haugen

Terry- Thanks for being so spunky when you comment on my posts. Charlie was behind the original house plan that was in favor of getting rid of the property tax and just having a sales tax increase. That is what I support, simple and to the point. Everyone can understand, but then all the mayors, towns and cities and the far left liberals do not want their pet projects to get cut back. Get rid of the school tax and make the school districts become accountable! I can show them how to save BILLIONS of dollars they waste and do not pass on to the students! The largest part of my tax bill is school tax and I HOMESCHOOL! Katerina

Oct 26, 2007 07:37 AM

William "Billy B" Berthiaume II

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services - West Palm Beach, FL

Katerina - I understand. I am just one of the people who are a real stickler when it comes to communication, punctuality and the need to deal business with a sense of urgency. I would hate to leave people laying in wait if they are ready to go now when we could take them and get them off your plate and hopefully moving forward. I will notify Valerie since she is waiting on a call from me. Sounds like your standpoints and mine are similar! So easy to point the finger and blame everyone else. Our masseuse told my wife last night while getting her massage that she was thinking of selling her place because she was upside down but she was sure that things would turn around when Bush was out of the White House! Do you get that? It is the Presidents fault this person took out a loan on a place they could not afford! Never ceases to amaze me how easy it is for people to jump on the bandwagon, not think for themselves and blame others for their mistakes. People are so easily lead and not many can actually think for themselves. The world would be a better place if people took RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS!!!!!

Oct 26, 2007 07:48 AM

Katerina Gasset

The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services - Provo, UT

Amplify Your Real Estate & Life Dreams!

William "Billy B" Berthiaume II

Oh my gosh, how is her loan the Presidents' fault? I see all those protesters up at the white house trying to say that it is everyone's fault that they can not pay their mortgages! Well, who told you to buy a million dollar house on a 35k salary? It amazes me and I do not feel sorry for them. I have a ARM and I am paying mine!

Those people are not ready to go, they won't even clean up their house like we told them to. They are trying to FSBO it because we told them the price was too high. It may be a waste of Valerie's time. But we will talk more about it a bit later. Nestor is just not sure if this is a good idea since they are not being reasonable right now. He feels they need to be a bit of a more pinch before they get aggressive in their pricing and condition of their house. Katerina

Oct 26, 2007 07:54 AM

William "Billy B" Berthiaume II

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services - West Palm Beach, FL

Hey Katerina. Yeah, don't you know that everything bad that ever happens in the world including natural disasters and other dictators aound the world is the President's fault? I agree - everyone is looking for an easy way out instead of taking responsibility for what they do. That drives me nuts!! I don't feel sorry for them either. I wrote a post a while back that you might like to check out - http://activerain.com/blogsview/174212/Personal-Responsibility about this exact topic. I think you would like it and some of the responses too.

Hey, whatever happens with those people I just want to thank you for thinking of me for the referral. It feels good to be thought of that way and I thank you. I still would enjoy that lunch or cup of coffee with you and Nestor one day.

Oct 26, 2007 08:42 AM

Terry Haugen STAGE it RIGHT! 321-956-2495

Stage it Right! - Melbourne, FL

Oops, far left liberal speaking here! I don't appreciate the legislature making noises about tax reform, all the while the real issue here is insurance reform, which Charlie Crist promised was on the horizon when he was running his campaign, which was pretty much paid for by the insurance industry. I also don't support the abolition of property tax in favor of a sales tax increase. Poor people have to eat and live and that would put MY and YOUR burden on THEIR shoulders, all the while YOU and I would be enjoying not having to pay property tax. NOT FAIR! Fair is reining in the insurance companies, pure and simple. Do that and property tax issued disappear.

Oct 26, 2007 11:14 AM

William "Billy B" Berthiaume II

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services - West Palm Beach, FL

Hey Terry. I respect your position and because we are free and have all these rights from our freedom - you and I can exchange different viewpoints freely and openly. I don't know how to respond and not sound cold hearted via computer because I am not at all cold hearted. I am a realist. So here goes:

To start, I don't know if anyone has ever told you or not but Life Is Not Fair! Surprise. I agree that the insurance companies are robbing people because I am a home owner and car owner and can barely afford health insurance. For my wife and 2 daughters alone it is over $500 a month. My homeowners insurance went up a few grand. Would I enjoy a property tax cut? ABSOLUTELY!!! Would I prefer to pay a slightly higher sales tax? Sure. I don't buy that many super expensive things a year any way and it would help my middle class family out and many more families - the majority of people - out BIG TIME!!! Hey, because people are poor does not mean YOU and I should have THEIR burden on OUR shoulders. So are you saying I should keep paying huge property tax so poor people don't have to pay 1.5% more in sales taxes? Are poor people buying that much stuff anyway? I mean really poor people are probably getting assistance from the Government with housing and food anyway. There are plenty of programs set up to help out. Why should my money have to be spent on higher property taxes so others don't have to pay a little more in sales taxes when they buy their Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii even though they are poor? Makes no sense to me. Seems like I am SHOULDERING THEIR burden!

This post was super long but I edited it. You can see more of my viewpoint here http://activerain.com/blogsview/174212/Personal-Responsibility

Oct 27, 2007 04:13 AM

Katerina Gasset

The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services - Provo, UT

Amplify Your Real Estate & Life Dreams!

Terry Haugen

Terry- I have many liberal friends and even a couple of far leftys, it is OK to disagree! This would be a very boring place if we all thought the same! Thanks for commenting and feel free to always express your viewpoint! I am all about free speech. I have been poor and I have been rich and both were my own doing! My mother was very very poor, when I was a child I stole FOOD to eat! But I did not want someone to 'save' me from my own and my mother's actions. My mother decided going to school and being in the University environment was more important than providing for her children. That was her choice. Being poor is a choice. Watch the Movie, " Pursuit of Happiness" for a great story on how a poor person has choices and how he, this is a true story, made his choices and got out of being homeless with his little son. A movie that made me cry for hours afterwards. It is the most amazing thing, the human spirit, and how no matter what the circumstances you have the choice to change your circumstances, you have THE CHOICE! God gave all of us equally AGENCY TO CHOOSE!

A sales tax would not hurt poor people because food would not be taxed and toilet paper and paper towels would not be taxed. But SODAS and Cigarettes and candy would be taxed! Poor people nor rich people should eat those and do those anyways! Almost all the other states like California have higher sales tax then we do and they are no poorer there than they are here!

I do not have health insurance and neither do any of my grown children. The great part about Florida is for health insurance is that all the poor kids can get medicaid and Florida kidcare! There is no excuse for one poor child to not have health insurance. The people who are hurt by health insurance costs are middle class like me and my family. Because we don't qualify for poor people programs. For me and my husband since we are self employed and at our age, it is like $800 a month, so we CHOOSE not to pay for it! It is still our CHOICE!

Home ownership is part of the American dream and it needs to be protected. I do not agree that I have to pay property taxes for the public schools because all my children were homeschooled. Too many homeowners here in FLorida can not pay their property taxes, worse yet, people are moving out of Florida because of it and they are not moving in like they used to. That is not good for poor people because less people, more higher expenses. YOu need to look at the big picture. Most states during the boom were smart and hurried and capped property taxes, increased exemptions, etc, but not FLORIDA!

Be careful with the views of protecting the poor at the expense of the middle class and the rich., You see, that is how communism begins and I promise you; the grass in NOT greener on the other side!

Read my post about my Stolen Land in Latvia. In Europe which is very socialistic the taxes are so high it is disgusting. Everything is taxed. They try to limit the amount of TVs you own, the car you drive, Socialism is not good.

We are a capitalist country, a REPUBLIC! We must protect our freedoms to be able to make money. In Cuba you are not even allowed to own your own business. AND now they let a select few do it with all the eyes of government on their shoulders and they work as slaves and give it to the government so that ALL The People can be equally POOR together!

IS that what you want for this country? Be careful what you wish for!

Now for the Insurance thing with Crist; there is no democrat that would have done it differently. A democrat would receive money from the Insurance industry just as quick as Charlie did. They are all politicians and answer to who gives them money. I do not like any of it one bit. But don't for a minute think the other side is any more clean and good! Katerina

Oct 27, 2007 04:53 AM