Martin introduces bill opening door to elimination of property taxes though budget cuts & ‘sales-based consumer taxes’
State Sen. Jonathan Martin has introduced a bill that could change the way Floridians pay taxes.
Martin, R-Fort Myers, is shepherding a bill which could potentially eliminate property taxes and replace them with a mixture of budget reductions and by raising sales tax rates through what the bill calls “sales-based consumption taxes, and locally-determined consumption taxes.”
SB 852, which Martin filed Tuesday in the state legislature in Tallahassee, calls for a study to “establish a framework to eliminate property taxes” and to replace property tax revenues through budget reductions, sales-based consumption taxes, and locally determined consumption taxes authorized by the Legislature.”
Martin, whose district includes most of Lee County, stressed that his bill is just a study before such a law could take effect.
The bill’s origins date back to discussions among Republicans at the federal level in years past about “replacing the income tax at the federal level with a consumption tax.”
Martin said the bill’s origins date back to discussions among Republicans at the federal level in years past about “replacing the income tax at the federal level with a consumption tax.”
Martin said he is not supporting increasing sales taxes but a studying its affect.
“My bill is not preparing to raise the sales tax,” he said. “I’m asking economists to do a study.”
A consumption-based tax “shifts payment of government services to those engaged in economic services,” he said. He is looking for ways to keep seniors and retirees in their homes including through cutting back on government spending.
“The budgets just keep going up and up every year and there is no end in sight,” Martin said.
Martin said he wants to see government “smart, efficient and not wasteful.”
Last week DeSantis went to X (formerly Twitter) to announce his support for a constitutional amendment to eliminate property taxes.
“Property taxes are local, not state. So we’d need to do a constitutional amendment (requires 60% of voters to approve) to eliminate them (which I would support) or even to reform/lower them,” DeSantis said on X. “We should put the boldest amendment on the ballot that has a chance of getting that 60%,” he said. “I agree that taxing land/property is the more oppressive and ineffective form of taxation.”
DeSantis was responding to an individual on the social media site who called for eliminating property taxes.
Martin’s bill would require the Office of Economic and Demographic Research to conduct a study that would include an “analysis of the potential impact of eliminating property taxes on public services, including education, infrastructure, and emergency services. An assessment of potential housing market fluctuations, including changes in homeownership rates and property values, would be part of the study.”
An evaluation of whether a shift to consumption-based taxes (sales taxes) would make Florida more attractive to businesses compared to other states would also be part of the study. An analysis of the potential impact of eliminating property taxes on overall economic stability, consumer behavior, and long-term economic growth are also required in Martin’s bill.
By Oct. 1, the office would be required to submit a report detailing the study’s findings to the President of the Florida Senate and the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.
Florida’s sales tax is currently at 6 percent with local options allowed
Martin said a state referendum could be held as early as November of 2026.