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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has shaken things up with recent comments that are sure to be popular with taxpaying American citizens: the proposed abolishment of burdensome property taxes.
“[People] have their homes paid off, and they bought it 30 years ago for a certain amount, now they’re being told it’s worth so much more and they have to pony up more and more money,” the governor said in a video posted to social media.
He added, “It’s almost like they have to pay rent to the government just to be able to enjoy their property – and that’s wrong. And we need to do something about it.”
The governor also fired off a few statements on X recently, explaining his stance on property tax abolishment, which he noted should not be specific to age.
“Making homestead properties tax-free would be a major boon to young families who will be better able to make ends meet. Why saddle anyone — but particularly young people — [with] rising local taxes based on increased assessments, which are nothing more than an unrealized gain?” he wrote.
In Florida, “homestead properties” refer to primary residences – not commercial properties, rental properties, or second homes, for example.
The governor also responded to a comment on X, noting that “limiting property tax elimination to seniors is not good policy.”
The concept of abolishing property tax is likely a popular one among Americans, but it has historically proven very difficult to codify. The United States has employed various forms of property taxes since the early American colonies.
According to the Economic History Association, seven of the early fifteen United States levied “uniform capitation taxes,” which primarily applied to livestock and land. Throughout the centuries, different states have utilized various forms of property taxation, but it has remained a constant theme. Currently, no state in the Union does not have at least some form of property tax.