I’ve lost track of how many times people have mentioned the ‘horrible taxation’ in Florida as a reason not to live here!

I have some great news.

I don’t know how many of you have head of The Tax Foundation - a non-partisan tax research group based in Washington D.C.

In their own words:

“The mission of the Tax Foundation is to educate taxpayers about sound tax policy and the size of the tax burden borne by Americans at all levels of government. From its founding in 1937, the Tax Foundation has been grounded in the belief that the dissemination of basic information about government finance is the foundation of sound policy in a free society.”

According to a study that they just released, Florida actually has the FIFTH BEST tax climate in the country. 

In arriving at this conclusion they looked at (at least):

• Property Tax
• Individual Income Tax
• Corporate Tax
• Sales Tax AND
• Unemployment Tax

While it is true that Florida does have high PROPERTY TAXES, in actuality they are the 19th best in the country - certainly lower then New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and Rhode Island.  So for those of you in the Northeast part of the country, you had better come up with a better excuse!

In addition, Florida is one of 7 states that DON’T have a STATE INCOME TAX.

Also while several states have INCREASED their ESTATE TAX RATES over the years, Florida dosen’t even have one.

If the misconception about the tax situation in Florida has kept you from buying here, I hope this will help to clear things up.  We still have a strong Buyers’ Market and prices are low - but they won’t be that way forever…………

This article was supplied by Marc Blasi and http://www.palmbeachrealestateandloans.com/0045A4

Palm Beach Gardens is well known for it’s fantastic golf and country club real estate - however, don’t make the mistake of thinking that’s all the city has to offer!

There are a lot of people who would love to live in Palm Beach Gardens and take advantage of everything it has - but they just aren’t into the country club lifestyle or the prices.  No problem-

One great choice would be Siena Oaks. Started around 1990, Siena Oaks is located on the east side of town.  It’s entrance can be accessed from either Prosperity Farms Road or Burns Road.

 
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While we can all agree that the phrase:  ‘You have to see it to believe it’ is a bit over-used, it really does apply in this case.  Siena Oaks is close to all of the major draws to the area - shopping, the beaches, dining, parks, public golf, etc., but you really are in your own world when you drive in. 

It’s a very quite area with only about 299 homes. It’s a great choice for small families and first-time homeowners.  For those of you with kids that might be worried about cars, there are no through roads which drastically cuts down on traffic.

Most of the homes do have pools, but there is also a community area with a large pool plus 2 tennis courts and a clubhouse that can be rented for private functions.

http://www.palmbeachrealestateandloans.com/004542

 A friend of mine - Chris Griffith from Life in Bonita Springs - pointed this video out to me late yesterday.  It’s a piece from 60 Minutes that goes into detail about the recent housing crisis and the titanic stupidity of the sub-prime mortgage situation that caused it all.

It really is an eye-opener.

As a country, if we didn’t learn our lesson from this recent love affair with greed, I can’t imagine what will happen the next time.

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