BCC President J. David Armstrong, Jr. hosted Representative Jack Seiler as he held an open forum on State budget cuts. Professor Jerry Schwartz spoke about the budgetary crisis which is both locally and Nationally. Less spending by the public= less tax money coming in.
Representative Seiler explained how Florida relies on two main taxes, property taxes and sales tax, for revenue. Florida does not have an income tax and probably will not have one anytime soon. When home sales are down, as they are now, that causes a ripple effect. Furniture sales go down, home improvement sales go down, car and boat sales decrease. Internet sales also have an affect as they do not charge sales tax in many cases. These are all taxable items that cause a decrease in the sales tax for the entire state. Increasing sales tax in the state may be the one option left.
He went on to described how the state has not decrease the budget for any criminal justice costs, yet is cutting budgets for schools. In his example, he explained how PreK - 12 per child cost is approx. $8,000 per year to fund. The hope for these students is that they continue onto college and into the workforce, buying goods and becoming a tax paying citizen. In contrast, to fund a criminal in the systems costs appox. $24,000 a year.
Some of his closing statements were for a possible sales tax increase, less exemptions for the sales tax and implemention of an internet sales tax in the future.
Representative Seiler then took questions from students, staff and faculty in the audience. There is a need for more courses to be available at the community college level. He also let students know that Federal money for need based financial aid will cover most of the tuition increase.
BCC President J. David Armstrong, Jr. introduces Representative Jack Seiler. |
Representative Jack Seiler addresses the crowd |
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