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Tax shift measure gains supporters
By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN, Times Staff Writer
Local officials have gathered initial support for a change in state law that would allow them to promise property tax cuts in exchange for a hike in the sales tax. Several members of the local legislative delegation said they will either propose or back amendments in state law to give such authority to local counties and cities. School districts already have the ability to cut property taxes in exchange for a sales tax, thanks to a change pushed by Orange County. The Pasco County School District has signed onto the sales tax initiative but only as a partner with the county and cities, superintendent John Long said. Long drove back to Pasco County from Tallahassee on Thursday, confident that the proposal would be introduced as law in one of three ways: Through a bill offered by Republican Rep. Heather Fiorentino of New Port Richey. As an amendment to the class size bill. Possibly through an amendment to a bill offered by Republican Sen. Mike Fasano of New Port Richey. "It looks to me when I left there this morning that we have three different vehicles," Long said. He said Fiorentino has offered to help. She could not be reached Thursday for comment. Fasano said he was trying to figure out which of his pieces of proposed legislation would work best with the amendment. Though Fasano opposes tax increases, he supports the amendment as a way to cut property taxes. "If the people want the sales tax increase, I want to help reduce the property tax for our homeowners," he said. The County Commission reached a consensus Tuesday to ask its state legislative delegation to push for such a change. Earlier this month, Commissioner Ted Schrader brought up the idea for the county, School Board and cities to consider reducing property tax rates if the public passes a one-cent increase in the sales tax. The sales tax increase question is supposed to appear on the ballot in November 2004. It's expected that the extra sales tax would raise $31-million a year in Pasco. State Rep. Ken Littlefield, R-Wesley Chapel, said he supported the law change, too. "We can give people that actually own property who live in Pasco a little bit of a break and raise the sales tax, and everybody that passes through Pasco gets to help us build schools and roads," Littlefield said.
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