WASHINGTON – July 26, 2010 – A viral email that keeps circulating seems to die out but then returns with a vengeance. Florida Realtors and the National Association of Realtors have received numerous calls from concerned members.
The email incorrectly states that “all real estate transactions will be subject to a 3.8% sales tax.” It then goes on to blame Democrats for inserting the language at the last minute into the recent health care package. To back up the email’s message, it includes an attachment that looks like a newspaper article from the Spokesman-Review, a Spokane, Wash., publication.
Part of the email is true: There is a new real estate tax that will help pay for Medicare, but it impacts a very small number of people. It applies only to sellers making more than $200,000 per year or $250,000 for couples.
The email fails to include information on the article, however, which is actually an editorial opinion of an outside writer and not a news piece. It was written by a representative of The Washington Policy Center (http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/Centers/healthcare/index.html), which includes a link on its website outlining the group’s stance on health care reform.
The National Association of Realtors has created a page explaining the new law that includes rebuttals of the false email. It can be found here.
A Washington Post article created a fictional couple with a joint income of $300,000 (over the $250,000 limit) that made a $600,000 profit on a home sale. In the example, the couple could pay a new real estate tax equal to about $1,900.
Reprinted with permission. Florida Realtors®. All rights reserved.
Note from John Elwell: Don't you just love rumors on the internet? They spread so easily and are so hard to kill once they start. I am glad that the National Association of REALTORS has come out with sites where you can get the truth about this issue. You have to wonder what pleasure people get out of starting these false rumors and lies in the first place. Guess it takes all kinds.
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