Decision on Property Tax Cuts in the hands of the Voters

Marianna - The voters of Jackson County will have a role in deciding whether their property taxes should be cut by an average of 25%.

The Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission voted Monday afternoon to go forward with a statewide referendum that could dramatically change the way taxes are paid in Florida. The measure calls for replacing $8 billion in property taxes statewide with a combination of an additional one cent sales tax and reductions in the state budget.

If the new system is approved by Florida's voters this November, then property taxes in Jackson County (and elsewhere in the Sunshine State) would fall by an average of 25%. The added one cent sales tax would spread the burden to a much larger section of the state's population.

The commission approved the measure by a 21 to 4 vote.

The final decision will now be left up to the voters of the state. A question will be added to the November election ballot.