Bed tax spike in Walton County, Florida [update: 1/2 cent approved]

[litiGator]

Dear friends the sky will not fall from a half cent rise in the bed tax. Indeed, it may well be a 12.5% increase in the tax. However, let me borrow from one poster who had the concern that "it is not "pennies" when you pay $2K for a week's rent". For that $2,000 of weekly rent, the vacationing family will now pay an additional $10. I don't really think that a vacationing family will choose another destination over Walton County based on an extra $10. As far as those who would say that Walton County vendors will now receive $10 less from that vacationing family...how do you get to that leap of logic. Sure...vacationing family will have $10 less theoretically...but who is to say that they won't adjust their budget elsewhere to account for it. To say that they'll spend less here in Walton County is reaching at best and propaganda at worst.

Look...I am by no means a fan of taxes. But you can't let the "no new tax tail" wag the "economic dog." Bottom line...we've tapped out the "driving demographic," that being those families within driving distance of our beaches. We have done our best to attract those families and saturate those markets with our message. If we want to increase our visibility and widen our net so to speak, then this bed tax is the best way for us to fund that. Attracting a major carrier like Southwest would be a boon to our local economy for two reasons. One: build it and they will come...we would move beyond the driving demographic to a more national (or international) demographic. Two: How cool would it be for us to have the option of flying out of here on Southwest? Not bad. Bay County has already ponied up money to attract Southwest and we said we would do our part in Walton County. It makes sense to me that we hold up our end of the bargain. The better our region does, the better we do.

What puzzles me the most is that our local tax watch dog groups are against this. Their mission statements are to protect the Walton County tax payer. They are lobbying against a "bed tax" paid by non-residents that will go toward a benefit for Walton County taxpaying residents. If the "bed tax" gets shot down, and Walton County still wants to attract more families to our area, then the cost will now come out of Walton County taxpayer wallets. So in a sense, these tax watch groups are lobbying against their own self interest.

If I've missed something, then please correct me. Thanks.

Pura Vida.

 

[SHELLY]

If I've missed something, then please correct me. Thanks.

Pura Vida.

How is this money going to be spent to "attract" Southwest?

Are we going to bribe them to come here or are we going to fund some "committee" who will put together some kind of whiz-bang powerpoint presentation to Wow(!) them, and then take them out to wine and dine them till they cry "uncle?"

What if, after all this money is spent, they still say 'No.' Do you have a plan B?

In the end, it appears to me, with all the talk about "holding up our side of the bargain" and that a "decision will be made on Tuesday," it appears that an awful lot of talk has gone on behind the scenes, in the shade, out of the sunshine.

.

 

[wrobert]

What puzzles me the most is that our local tax watch dog groups are against this. Their mission statements are to protect the Walton County tax payer. They are lobbying against a "bed tax" paid by non-residents that will go toward a benefit for Walton County taxpaying residents. If the "bed tax" gets shot down, and Walton County still wants to attract more families to our area, then the cost will now come out of Walton County taxpayer wallets. So in a sense, these tax watch groups are lobbying against their own self interest.

If I've missed something, then please correct me. Thanks.

Pura Vida.

I guess I am missing your confusion. The WCTA represents all taxpayers that pay taxes in Walton County. Our current membership is approximately 850 of whom about half live here and the other half do not.

I do think that Andrew Jackson had the right idea though.

 

[wrobert]

Community Association Presidents of the Emerald Coast Oppose 12.5% tax increase

CAPEC executive board has formally taken the position to oppose the Walton County Bed tax increase. This association represents over 6000 property owners in Walton and Okaloosa County.

 

[TooFarTampa]

How is this money going to be spent to "attract" Southwest?

Are we going to bribe them to come here or are we going to fund some "committee" who will put together some kind of whiz-bang powerpoint presentation to Wow(!) them, and then take them out to wine and dine them till they cry "uncle?"

What if, after all this money is spent, they still say 'No.' Do you have a plan B?

In the end, it appears to me, with all the talk about "holding up our side of the bargain" and that a "decision will be made on Tuesday," it appears that an awful lot of talk has gone on behind the scenes, in the shade, out of the sunshine.

.

Thanks SHELLY, this is the question.

I'm glad you joined so you could at least partially post your side, Sam Story, but it would be great if you could follow up by explaining exactly how this money will be spent. Is it payment directly to Southwest -- ie a subsidy? If it is marketing, then why do you think this will work? Can you give examples of how this has worked in the past?

Furthermore, why institute this tax in the middle of a tax period? The TDC collects bed tax quarterly and the current collection period is April 1-June 30. Why not wait until July 1 to make it easier for everyone? Why change the rate collected in the middle of the quarter?

Better yet, why not wait until AFTER this current rental season is over, so those who have already booked for the summer will not have to hear that "oh, by the way, you are going to have to pay another $10 or $20 or in some cases $40 or $50, so sorry."

The tourists and second homeowners who will NOT be able to attend this meeting on Tuesday would like to know, since they are the ones who will be directly and indirectly affected.

If those who are making the decisions don't understand that the timing of this vote is awkward at best, then they are out of touch. The meeting is scheduled for April 14? The day before thousands are going to be holding so called tea-parties to protest (I am assuming because I will not be attending them) federal taxation and spending?

We are in the middle of a severe recession and there is an ongoing national discussion about taxes, government budgets and government spending. It would be helpful if the TDC and/or the county commission could lay out a serious and specific case for raising taxes at this time.

Thanks in advance for your answers!

 

[litiGator]

I do think that Andrew Jackson had the right idea though

Now wRobert, if I was Native American I might be offended... Easy tiger, lets keep it amicable.

My point was merely that the tax groups were against a tax being paid by non-property owners for a benefit conferred upon the property owning members of the tax groups. They were in a sense voting against their own self interest. It seems that they are against the tax only because it is a tax. While I typically agree with the "any tax is a bad tax" school of thought, I thought this particular idea had merit. I feel strongly about getting Southwest to our airport.

I also agree with Shelley and TooFarTampa...I too would like to know more about how the money will be spent. I don't think we should go around handing cash out. But if it increases our chances of getting Southwest, then I think it would be money well spent. You know how much you pay to fly out of here. You also know what kind of legitimacy such an airline would give to the airport. I will see what I can find out about the details for how the money will be spent.

In the meantime, lets give a little more respect to our local leaders. A good citizen always questions and thinks for themselves. But its helpful to remember that our officials do dedicate a lot of their time to an often thankless job. Rember the following words and if you think the job is not being done, then be a doer and not a monday morning quarterback...

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Theodore Roosevelt[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Citizenship in a Republic,"[/FONT]​

Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

 

[SHELLY]

In the meantime, lets give a little more respect to our local leaders. A good citizen always questions and thinks for themselves. But its helpful to remember that our officials do dedicate a lot of their time to an often thankless job. Rember the following words and if you think the job is not being done, then be a doer and not a monday morning quarterback...

Personally, I think we've given our leaders (national, state and local) too much slack on the leash up to this point (BTW--Aren't they all public servants??>.

It's time for them all to account for our taxes and answer the what, why, when, how, and who concerning our tax dollars. The folks in our neighboring county are just now finding out how "trustworthy" their leaders were with the tax dollars entrusted to them.

One should not be trite when it comes to taxes paid by our guests--most have worked long and hard for this money and their contributions deserve our consideration and respect. Neither taxes collected from residents, nor bed taxes collected from our guests, should be tossed willy-nilly into some pie-in-the-sky, jobs-for-the-boys black hole.

This tax should not be approved until they spell out exactly how they plan to use and account for this money...or are they going to use the same mindset they used for the airport, "Tax it and We will Spend."

 

[wrobert]

The resolution that the TDC wants passed to increase the sales tax 12.5% speaks to placing a low cost airline in Bay or Okaloosa County. But I keep getting indications that this whole thing is for the Bay County Airport. What business has placed so much emphasis and really needs this Bay County Airport to do so well?

 

[scooterbug44]

I thought the idea about the new airport was that if we built it airlines would be lining up to fly the masses of people .................... not that we would need to increase taxes during rough economic times to bribe a discount airline to fly here.

How about we take all the money we waste on study groups, branding, and presentations, and spend it on things that improve the quality of life for residents and visitors.

 

[traderx]

Below is a statement from the new airport website:

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $575,000 grant to the Panama City ? Bay County airport to help attract a low cost carrier to the region and to help current airlines expand their service. The federal dollars will be matched by $529,500 in cash and in-kind contributions from the local business community.

Has the local business community contributed the $529,500 or is the bed tax increase envisioned for that purpose?

Why Southwest? Southwest does not even fly out of ATL. It seems that local leaders would want an airline that can connect with other flights at the world's busiest airport three hundred miles away.