[macrodome2]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

For me I don’t mind paying more in taxes IF we are guaranteed universal services like healthcare or college tuition. It applies to everyone whether you make $1 or $1 million.

However, so far from gillum it sounds like he just wants to raise corporate taxes. This I’m very against because Florida already lacks a large educated population, so at least it offers a friendly business environment, you take that away then why would businesses move to FL? I also know it won’t be enough to fund healthcare and tuition, it’s also easier to pass, so I bet we would just be less business friendly and not have free healthcare or tuition. If gillum says we need to increase sales tax or something along those lines, I will listen much closer to him.

FL economy is based on services. The kind where people are standing in front of you. I don't see a mass exodus of businesses since there's very little manufacturing, technology, finance or anything that is easily moved to another state.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by bale002

There is always Texas and Nevada.

There is always California and New York. I’m not the one trying to change Florida’s constitution.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by macrodome2

FL economy is based on services. The kind where people are standing in front of you. I don't see a mass exodus of businesses since there's very little manufacturing, technology, finance or anything that is easily moved to another state.

I wouldn’t worry about businesses moving out, but Florida needs to attract those kinds of businesses into the state. Once it has a big tech and financial presence than you can think about increasing corporate taxes.

[aridon]

The Florida house and senate are ridiculously conservative.

Why do people act like Gillum is going to unilaterally going change everything the second he is elected? The idea has no basis in reality.

I see this election more as a vote against Trump and the ultra right wing that has suddenly found more of a voice. I prefer to get back closer to the middle and electing a leftist to governor in a state with a legislature that is still heavily republican will help do just that.

If I have to pay taxes for universal health care and community college, then so be it. I support that anyway. I'm a registered Republican btw. I just don't feel as though what is in your wallet should determine if you live or die nor should most of the middle class be one health event away from losing everything.

[beachmouse]

Florida is also in a unique position to continue to extract a fair amount of revenue from non-residents, who already pay something like 15% of the sales tax in the state. A state lodging tax increase of 2-3% isn't going to scare anyone away, especially considering the price of a family trip to Disney.

Will it raise enough to do everything needed? Probably not. But there are a lot of creative funding options for large projects, and we have other advantages compared to other states like a fully funded and solvent state employee pension plan that is not going to require several billion dollars of cash infusion anything soon in order to plug the baby boomer retirement hole.

[RedneckRebel]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

In terms of a state income tax anyone who doesn't see it as a eventuality is living in a fantasy world. Florida's largely low wage population growth isn't sustainable for tax revenue purposes via property taxes with more and more demand in rental housing due to lack of income/savings/credit worthiness, declining purchasing power of the lower/middle class development and continued tax breaks to developers which all contribute further to annual shortfalls where infrastructure projects, education and healthcare resources are concerned.

Has worked fantastic for 160+ years...

[d4g4m]

For many years, there has been a net increase of 900 people a day moving into the state. One of the reasons is moving from a state that has a 13% income tax and/or a city income tax to no income tax. I don't think there would ever be 60% of voters approving a constitutional amendment to take more money out of their pockets.

[craigiri]

Florida needs to grow up - at 20 million people and counting it can't pretend it is empty any longer.

That means it needs income. The People and their representatives can decide where that comes from.

You can't have schools full of youth at 12K per person per year and still get by with $1K per year property tax. And with the environmental destruction and global warming (heat), the tourist biz is not likely to pay the way any longer. There are only so many swampy lowland lots to sell.

We know the costs of modern civilization. Florida is no exception. That's the price of progress.

[craigiri]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

Florida is also in a unique position to continue to extract a fair amount of revenue from non-residents, who already pay something like 15% of the sales tax in the state. A state lodging tax increase of 2-3% isn't going to scare anyone away, especially considering the price of a family trip to Disney.

Will it raise enough to do everything needed? Probably not. But there are a lot of creative funding options for large projects, and we have other advantages compared to other states like a fully funded and solvent state employee pension plan that is not going to require several billion dollars of cash infusion anything soon in order to plug the baby boomer retirement hole.

If the Gulf completely dies....and traffic continues to build...and global warming makes the heat index over 100 much of the year.....and so on, and so on - that means less tourists and snowbirds to fleece.

Florida has to decide what it wants to be when it grows up. It cannot have it all as is evidenced by the current pollution situation.

[Fredesch]

I like Andrew Gilliam and wish the US would become a first world county and offer single payer universal healthcare like most of the first world counties do. If AG can get that done in Florida, Florida will be a better place. I will be on Medicare in a few years so universal coverage will probably come too late to make a difference for me. But I would really like to see the US and if not the whole US at least Florida do the right thing for our residents.