The GOP’s Property Tax Trap. A Wealth Transfer Scheme

Illustration showing wealthy families rising on property tax cuts while working-class families are crushed by higher sales taxes under GOP policies.

The Great Republican Tax Swindle: How Eliminating Property Taxes Becomes the Latest Wealth Transfer to the Rich

In yet another chapter of “How to Drain the Middle and Working Class,” Republican lawmakers across the country have embraced a shiny new con: eliminating property taxes. It sounds populist. It sounds liberating. It sounds if you squint just right, like a windfall for everyday families. But as with most things marketed by the modern GOP, the sticker hides the fine print.

Florida’s Plot to Rewrite the Constitution, literally

In my home state of Florida, our governor, Napoleonic in stature and, arguably, intellect Ron DeSantis, is pushing a series of constitutional amendments that would abolish state property taxes altogether. If that gives you déjà vu, it’s because this same agenda is bubbling up in other states: Kansas, Ohio, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Illinois among them.

We’ve already seen versions of this play out in Texas and Montana, where cuts to property taxes left residents with slightly lower bills but also governments with significantly less money to spend on public services. Funny how the savings never seem to trickle down to things like schools, firefighters, infrastructure, or local services. It’s almost as if that’s the point.

“Let’s Do the Math,” as Sheldon Cooper Would Say

Here’s what Floridians collectively paid in property taxes in 2024: $55.18 billion.
That money isn’t frivolous, it funds schools, counties, cities, and independent districts. In other words, the backbone of everyday life for the middle and working-class citizens Republicans claim to champion.

So what does eliminating that revenue look like?

A family with a $250,000 home might save $1,500–$2,500 a year.
A family with a $2 million home would save $14,625–$34,125.
And Donald Trump? He would save roughly $602,000 on Mar-a-Lago alone.

There’s no irony anymore, only the audacity.

The Sales Tax Bombshell

Of course, the hole left behind by eliminating property taxes has to be filled somehow. Enter the Republican solution: increase the state sales tax from 6% to 12%, which would instantly become the highest sales tax in America.

Time for more math.

A sales tax affects everyone, but not equally. Wealthy families spend a smaller share of their income on taxable goods, while lower-income families spend most of their earnings on necessities. It’s the very definition of a regressive tax—one that hits the poor harder than the rich.

And then comes the DeSantis side plan: cutting city services and block grants. That means fewer resources for local governments, less support for vulnerable communities, and deeper erosion of public systems already teetering on collapse.

Oh, and let’s not forget: eliminating property taxes would also strip $14.1 billion from Florida’s schools. Apparently “parental rights” now include the right to underfund your child’s education.

A Tale of Two Families

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of how this tax swap actually shakes out (using the “Non-School Property Tax” cut proposed in HJR 201):

Net Annual Financial Impact

Scenario	High-Income Family	Moderate-Income Family
Annual Income	$500,000	$75,000
Home Value	$2,000,000	$250,000
Property Tax Eliminated	≈ $16,500	≈ $1,700
Estimated Taxable Spending	~$120,000 (24% of income)	~$40,000 (53% of income)
Cost of Sales Tax Increase (7% → 12%)	~$6,000	~$2,000
NET IMPACT	+ $10,500 in savings	– $300 in additional cost

The wealthy gain tens of thousands; the middle class loses money; and the working poor get hammered. It’s wealth redistribution, the Republican way.

The Regressive Swap Republicans Don’t Want You to See

Let’s call this what it is: a tax scheme engineered to benefit the rich at the direct expense of everyone else. This is not fiscal conservatism. It’s not family-friendly policy. It’s a deliberate transfer of public wealth upward.

And the most dangerous part? Once property taxes are abolished, there is no turning back. When the state inevitably needs more money (and it will), what stops lawmakers from extending the sales tax to groceries, medicines, utilities—anything?

Today food is exempt. Tomorrow? Who knows.

A Final Warning

So to my friends, family, and fellow citizens across the country: do not be fooled. This isn’t about giving you a break. It’s about giving the wealthiest Americans the biggest tax cut of their lives while shifting the burden onto everyone else.

The Republicans’ property tax elimination movement is not a gift, it’s a trap.
And as history keeps reminding us: when the GOP talks about “freedom,” it’s usually freedom for the wealthy… and a bill for the rest of us.

Why It Matters

Because Republicans are selling a “tax cut” that actually raises taxes on the poor, starves schools, guts public services, and funnels massive savings to millionaires. Eliminating property taxes isn’t reform, it’s demolition of the social contract.

Key Takeaways

Eliminating property taxes shifts $55B in Florida alone away from schools and local services.
A 12% sales tax becomes the highest in the nation, directly harming working-class families.
Wealthy homeowners save tens of thousands while middle-class families lose money.
The plan is mathematically regressive and politically irreversible once enacted.
This is a deliberate wealth transfer upward, not tax relief.