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Orange County Business Property Tax Exemption (January 2012)
An Orange County Business Property Tax Exemption measure was on the January 31, 2012 ballot in Orange County.
This measure was approved
- YES 58,662 (61.8%)
- NO 36,260 (38.2%)[1]
This measure sought to allow property tax exemptions to new or expanding businesses in the county which would increase jobs in the county.[2] Since this measure was approved, new businesses could get up to 100 percent tax exemptions and they could be in place for up to ten years. The County would decide on a specific basis how much would be exempted and for how long. County Commissioners saw this as a way for the county to remain competitive as other counties already have this measure in place. Opponents of the measure noted that this is just another form of corporate welfare which does not help local small businesses who have been operating for years.[3]
Cons to the measure also included the fact that there would be a loss of revenue for the county if the measure is approved. Also, smaller businesses would likely be left out as there is a threshold of ten new jobs created to qualify for potential tax breaks. But those in favor noted that although county property taxes would be exempted, the business would still have to school, city and other taxes so there would still be revenue coming in from the new business.[4]
Text of measure
The question on the ballot:
| Shall the Board of County Commissioners of Orange County be authorized to grant , pursuant to Section 3, Article VII of the State Constitution, property tax exemptions for new businesses and expansions of existing businesses that are expected to create new, full-time jobs in the county?[5] |
Additional reading
- The Orlando Sentinel, "Orange commissioner used public email to plug ballot measure," January 26, 2012
- Orlando Sentinel, "Orange leaders will let voters decide on business tax break," September 20, 2011
Footnotes
- ↑ Orange County Elections, January Election Results
- ↑ Orange County Elections, County Resolution (dead link)
- ↑ Fox Orlando, "Tax exemption referendum to create jobs," January 24, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ The Orlando Sentinel, "Orange tax break referendum: The pros, cons," January 29, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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