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Senior Citizens Could Lose Property Tax Break

October 16th, 2007 by flanews

Lawmakers are at the Capitol to work on getting a property tax cut amendment on the January ballot.  Under one of the proposals, senior citizens whose gross income is less than $24,000 would not have to pay property taxes.  But as Chris Casquejo tells us, some lawmakers worry about the potential for fraud.

Hear it here: Seniors Could Lose Property Tax Break

Glenn Masimore is one of more than 400,000 senior citizens who would not pay property taxes under a proposal that lawmakers are considering.  He says the money he’d keep would not burn a hole in his pocket.

“I need a new truck I know that,” Masimore said.  “That’s what I would like to have, a new truck.  But I can’t afford it now.”

Governor Charlie Crist supports the idea of exempting low income seniors from paying property taxes.

“But for them, we probably wouldn’t be here today,” Gov. Crist said.  “They put it all on the line for us.  We owe them.”

Some lawmakers are concerned about the potential for abuse if low-income seniors don’t have to pay property taxes.  Senator Steve Geller gave this example.

“Somebody under this bill, somebody in a $5 million house brings their mother into it, the mother being a low-income senior,” the Hallandale Beach Democrat said.  “Do you know much they’d pay in property taxes there?  Nothing!”

Democrats apparently cried loud enough.  A Senate committee voted to limit the property tax break for low-income seniors to the first $100,000 dollars in assessed value.  Whether that measure holds up, the full House and Senate will decide.

A three-fourths vote is required to put a property tax amendment on the January ballot.  Last month, a judge threw out a proposed amendment because it was too vaguely worded.

Posted in Amendments, Charlie Crist, Legislature, Politics, Property Taxes, State News, Voting | 1 Comment »

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