As Pinellas County asks voters to renew the Penny for Pinellas tax for another 10 years, voters may want to be aware of the County's skyrocketing Tax Collections.  Cut Taxes Now has analyzed the Pinellas county budget and found that County tax collections have more than doubled since 1999. 

The one cent sales tax is a more fair way to fund government, spreading the tax burden to more citizens and tourists.  Yet despite the money coming in from the local option sales tax, County Tax collections continue to skyrocket.  Taxpayers wonder why the County can't offer real and substantial property tax relief now as it asks for the "infrastructure" sales tax to continue for ten more years.  The Sales tax money could be used to lower property taxes by offsetting "infrastructure" spending currently funded by the property tax such as libraries and fire stations. 

The numbers below show that elected officials have allowed tax collections to rise uncontrollably even as it offers a token cut in the millage rate to 6.100 for 2007 down from 6.801.  The Voters are not fooled that easily.  While government revenues have doubled since 1999, ordinary citizens have not seen their revenue double...we can't vote ourselves more money like the government can.

Year	Property Tax Collections
1998	$197,629,081
1999	$206,846,722
2000	$225,541,084
2001	$250,188,627
2002	$279,480,331
2003	$291,376,400
2004	$318,681,760
2005	$355,163,283
2006	$403,655,591
2007	$435,774,000