RICK KRISEMAN's Tax Record

Facts:

Rick Kriseman has voted to raise tax collections every year since he was appointed to the council in 2000.
In 2003, Only Mr. Kriseman opposed even a TOKEN Tax Cut!
0n 9/14/06, Rick Kriseman Cast a Tie Breaking vote to increase St. Petersburg Tax Collections to highest level ever: $103.4 Million.

With Kriseman’s eager support, Property Tax Collections have nearly Doubled in St.Petersburg from $52.3 Million in 1999 to $103.4 Million for 2007 – the HIGHEST IN CITY HISTORY!!!

Rick Kriseman thinks it is “Unfair” that some people still have lower taxes with the Save Our Homes Tax Cap passed by voters in 1992.
Mr. Kriseman would like everyone to pay higher taxes rather than lowering the taxes of those who lose the Save Our Home Exemption when they move or buy a house after taxes are already high.
Mr. Kriseman insists on using the “happy talk” that tax “rates” are the lowest in 20 years! But Tax COLLECTIONS – from your pocket – are still skyrocketing in St. Petersburg.

Don’t be fooled by his “Happy Talk” of the “lowest tax rate”. TAX COLLECTIONS KEEP GOING UP!

Rick Kriseman should know that run-away taxes hurt first time home buyers, renters, long time homeowners trapped in their houses and small businesses!

Rick Kriseman even had reservations about this year's token cut in the Millage Rate in St. Petersburg. The 6/10/06 Story appears at: http://www.sptimes.com/2006/06/10/Tampabay/As_tax_rate_falls__re.shtml.

In the story, Kriseman indicates that any tax rate cut should wait until we spend more on “city services”. Here is the excerpt:

'City Council member Rick Kriseman said the savings from such a tax cut might be better spent on enhanced city services. He's fearful, however, that any attempt to keep the money in the city budget could be interpreted as a tax increase."Let's make sure we can pay for what we got and what the people expect," Kriseman said. "Let's get the city we all want, then maybe we can do a more significant reduction, one that has a real impact."'

So apparently Mr. Kriseman’s solution is to keep taxes as high as possible until some undefined time in the future when we “get the city we all want” and then consider some cuts. This is the same man who was the ONLY one to vote against even the token tax cut in 2003 saying it would be fiscally irresponsible to do so. Cut Taxes Now thinks we already have the city we want. What more is there for the Government to buy? Of course, they will be the only ones who can afford to buy anything at the current rate!