Florida Amendment 8 (2008)
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Florida Amendment 8 proposed an amendment to the Florida Constitution. The measure was placed on the ballot by the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission (TBRC), along with six other tax-and-budget ballot measures.
Election results
| Florida Amendment 8: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Percentage | |||
| Yes | 3,038,837 | 43.5% | ||
NO 
| 3,940,626 | 56.5% | ||
| Total votes | 6,979,463 | 100% | ||
Results according to the Florida Department of State[1]
Specific Provisions
If the measure passed it would have:
- Required the legislature to authorize local option sales tax levies for counties.
- Required these levied ad valorem taxes to go towards community college funding
- Required counties to get voter approval of the levies.
Supporters
Editorial Support:
- The Miami Herald[2]
Arguments in Support
Notable arguments made in support of the measure included:
- Community colleges serve as a gateway to the university system and to greater employment opportunities; this amendment could increase their funding.[3]
- Voters would have the option of denying any proposed local-option sales tax increase under the proposal.[3]
Opponents
Opposing Arguments
Notable arguments made in opposition to the measure included:
- Amendment 8 would open the door for decreased state funding for community colleges over time.
- If the larger counties approve this measure, smaller counties may be coerced in the future to approve similar measures to pay for their own funding.
- Sales taxes impose a greater burden on lower-income families.[3]
- The measure shifts the burden of funding community colleges from state to local authorities.[3]
- The amendment could create unequal opportunities for Florida residents based on the economy in their county of residence.[3]
- Even though the tax hikes would require voter approval and sunset after 5 years, opponents are concerned that this amendment could open the door to more expansive and self-perpetuating tax burdens.
See also
- Florida 2008 ballot measures
- For information on other citizen initiatives that attempted but failed to make the ballot, see Florida 2008 citizen initiatives.
- Florida ballot initiative news
- Procedures for qualifying an initiative in Florida
- Laws governing the initiative process in Florida
- Campaign finance requirements for Florida ballot measures
External Links
- Link to Florida Department of State
- Full Text of Initiative
- 2008 Florida constitutional amendments voter booklet
References
- ↑ Florida Department of State
- ↑ Miami Herald: "Education ballot measure deserves voters' approval," Oct 22, 2008
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 League of Women Voters Tallahassee: "2008 State Ballot Initiatives"
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