DEBATE FACT #2: “False” That Crist Signed The Largest Tax Cut

What Crist Said…

That he signed the largest tax cut but PolitiFact says that’s “false.”

The Facts About The Crist Record…

Charlie Crist’s Claim To Have Signed The Largest Tax Cut In State History Is “False.” “In the absence of additional data, and with the knowledge that Save Our Homes has cut property tax bills for Florida residents $32 billion or more, we can’t agree with Crist that the 2007 and 2008 changes constitute the largest tax cut in state history. We rule Crist’s statement False.” (“Charlie Crist Takes Credit For Florida’s Largest Ever Tax Cut,” St. Petersburg Times’ “PolitiFact”, 11/10/09)

Crist is telling only half the story about property tax cuts:

·         Although Crist Continues Touting Them, His Office Has Acknowledged Their Earlier Tax Relief Projections Are Outdated And Too High. “It’s the same reason that a recent Florida Association of Counties report concluded that of the $1.5 billion trimmed from property tax collections at the county level in the past three years, almost half is a result of falling property values, not the Crist-led changes. When questioned by PolitiFact, the governor’s office acknowledged that its original savings estimates are now likely high and it has not rerun the analysis.” (St. Petersburg Times/PolitiFact, 11/10/09)

·         Orlando Sentinel: “Property Taxes Have Fallen, But Largely For Reasons Beyond Crist’s Control.” “No issue will loom larger over Crist’s legacy than his handling of property taxes and insurance. So far, results have been mixed. Property taxes have fallen, but largely for reasons beyond Crist’s control. ‘Taxes are going down because the market is going down, not for any other reason,’ said Orange County Property Appraiser Bill Donegan. The plunge in property values has largely masked the impact of Crist’s property-tax changes, the largest of which was 2008’s Amendment 1 expanding the $25,000 homestead exemption, among other tweaks to the property-tax system. ‘Really, it’s been swamped by what’s happening in the economy,’ said Amy Baker, coordinator of the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research.” (Aaron Deslatte, “Governor’s Big Goals: Fulfilled Or Abandoned?” Orlando Sentinel, 6/12/09)

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