Region's tax base shrinks faster than state's

... the total taxable value of property in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties will have dropped $33 billion, or 27 percent, in the three years since the real estate slide started.

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TAX BASES SHRINK

Taxable values for school districts:

Charlotte County

2007, $19.9 billion
2008, $16.9 billion
2009 (projected), $14.8 billion

Manatee County

2007, $33.1 billion
2008, $30.5 billion
2009 (projected), $27.1 billion

Sarasota County

2007, $55.8 billion
2008, $49.3 billion
2009 (projected), $45.3 billion

Source: Consensus of state economists