Herald Tribune: Evasion on Amendment 5

Thursday, August 14, 2008

anging from the Florida Education Association to the Florida Association of Realtors—are lining up to oppose or support Amendment 5.

Fortunately, however, Floridians have time to learn about the proposed constitutional amendment and its potential impact on tax policy, the economy and school funding. This amendment and eight others will be on the Nov. 4 general election ballot.

Amendment 5 proponents, who gained Gov. Charlie Crist as an ally last week, owe voters a full explanation of the anticipated impacts of the proposal and the likely government responses to such a substantial change in state and local tax structures.

The amendment, if approved, would replace the state-required (but locally levied) property tax for elementary and high schools “with state revenues generating an equivalent hold harmless amount.”

The ballot language says the replacement revenue for schools would be generated through one or more of these options:

Repealing state sales tax exemptions.

Increasing the state sales tax rate by up to one percentage point.

Spending reductions in state budgets.

Other sources OK’d by the Legislature.

Despite the explicit provisions in the amendment, Crist dodged questions from reporters about how he would propose to replace the school funding lost to the property-tax cut. That wishy-washy response undercuts previous statements from the governor’s office indicating that he opposes sales tax changes and leaves a big question mark about how, or whether, the education funds would be replaced.

Gov. Crist has a lot of explaining to do if he wants Floridians to follow his lead on Amendment 5.