Florida
Politifact: Nan Rich Makes Claims about State’s Economy, Taxes
August 6, 2014
In response to questions, Rich said Florida’s tax structure was too regressive. Rich cited a 2013 report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which partners with Citizens for Tax Justice, a group that advocates for middle- and low-income families. The report concluded that all states have regressive tax systems. It means that state […]
St. Augustine Record: Tax Holiday, It’s How You Handle It
August 1, 2014
By the Editorial Board Florida touts these holidays — in which the 6 percent tax is temporarily lifted — as breaks for the average family, and says that Floridians will save $40 million this weekend alone. That may not be the whole story. We don’t argue the state numbers, but the truth is that the […]
Politifact: Nan Rich says Florida has 3rd most-regressive tax structure
July 23, 2014
“Rich told PolitiFact Florida in an interview, “don’t hold me to ‘third regressive.’ …. I did not say ‘third’ definitively. … We are one of the most regressive.” Rich cited a 2013 report by The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which partners with Citizens for Tax Justice, a group that advocates for fair taxation of […]
South Florida Times: State Policies Affect the Middle Class
June 5, 2014
By David Madland and Keith Miller, June 5, 2014 The past 30 years has not been kind to Florida’s middle class which now ranks among the weakest in the nation. While the state enjoyed significant economic growth over this period, few of the benefits ever trickled down to the families who were not among the […]
The Christian Science Monitor: Hurricane Season Is Here, and Preparation Is Tax-Free
June 2, 2014
By Renu Zaretsky, June 2, 2014 Hurricane season began yesterday, and millionaires or not, Floridians can purchase hurricane supplies sales-tax free until June 8. Eligible items include ice packs, flashlights, portable radios, portable generators, Tiki torches, and certain batteries (AAs are tax-free, AAAs are not). Sales tax holidays grew more popular as states carried budget surpluses: They were seen as a way […]
Politico: Tax Cuts MVP in Scott’s State of the State
March 6, 2014
(Original Post) Florida Gov. Rick Scott used his State of the State address yesterday to encourage state lawmakers to move forward with $560 million in proposed tax cuts, including a $100 million cut to commercial rental taxes, a roll-back of $400 million in state vehicle-registration fees and a freeze on tuition rates. Scott also boasted […]
WFSU: Florida Retail Federation Backing Tax Holidays, Proposals To Expand Pharmacist Duties
January 30, 2014
(Original Post) Health & Science 4:32 PM TUE JANUARY 28, 2014 By LYNN HATTER The Florida Retail Federation is gearing up for the 2014 legislative session by throwing its support behind a series of proposed sales tax holidays and proposals to expand the duties of pharmacists. Vice President Randy Miller says the group is behind […]
The Orlando Sentinel: Disney triples offshore profits, saving on U.S. taxes
December 10, 2013
(Original Post) December 9, 2013|By Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel The Walt Disney Co. has nearly tripled the amount of profit it is keeping in offshore subsidiaries, saving the company $315 million in U.S. income taxes, new regulatory filings show. The move helped Disney, one of the largest taxpayers in Florida, cut its reported effective tax […]
Miami Herald: Gov. Rick Scott’s ‘jobs, jobs jobs’ is just talk, talk, talk
December 10, 2013
BY FRED GRIMM [email protected] Rick Scott talks jobs, jobs, jobs for Florida. But Nicolás Maduro delivers. Gov. Scott, the candy man of come-to-Florida corporate incentives, has been doling out state tax breaks, tax credits and other goodies, in a frantic attempt to fulfill his gaudy 2010 campaign promise to deliver 700,000 new jobs. Unhappily, […]
Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County’s growth report, the KKK and Stephen Colbert
November 21, 2013
(Original Post) By Tom Lyons Published: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at 5:08 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at 5:08 p.m. Ironic is the kindest description I can think of for the way Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Barbetta is blaming Randall Reid for a consultant’s report all agree was an embarrassing waste of time […]
Florida is a “Low Tax State” Overall, But Not for Families Living in Poverty
September 19, 2013 • By Meg Wiehe
New data from the Census Bureau appear to lend support to Florida's reputation as a "low tax state," ranking it 45th nationally in taxes collected as a share of personal income.1 But focusing on the state's overall tax revenues has led many observers to overlook the fact that different taxpayers experience Florida's tax system very differently. In particular, the poorest 20 percent of Florida residents pay significantly more of their income (13.2 percent) in state and local taxes than any other group in the state. For low-income families, Florida is far from being a low tax state.2 In fact, only…
The Gainesville Sun: Florida’s stake in immigration reform
July 26, 2013
(Original Post) Published: Friday, July 26, 2013 at 3:08 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, July 26, 2013 at 3:08 p.m. As Congress takes a summer respite to figure out how to move immigration reform forward in the House, mounting evidence shows that reform would be a plus to the national economy. For instance, the Congressional Budget […]
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy: Poverty Rises in Florida While the State’s Tax System Benefits the Wealthy
January 14, 2013
The number of Floridians living below the federal poverty level increased between 2007 and 2009 by almost 550,000 – equal to the population of the cities of Orlando and Tampa combined. New U.S. Census figures show about 2.7 million Floridians, or 14.9 percent, lived in poverty in 2009, a sharp rise over 2007’s 12.1 percent. […]
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy: Unbalancing Florida’s Tax System: Eliminating Taxes on Wealth Has Shifted the Burden to Other Floridians
January 14, 2013
Florida’s state tax structure has become even more heavily weighted against the poor and middle class, even as the numbers of poor and near-poor Floridians increase and the share of income held by the wealthy continues to rise.1 Choices made by state political leaders and Congress in the last decade have made Florida’s tax structure […]
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy: Florida’s Tax Structure Fails Tests for Fairness, Efficiency and Simplicity
January 14, 2013
Economists, public administration professionals, and governmental experts agree on several requirements for a sound tax system at any level of government. These requirements include adequacy, fairness, efficiency, and simplicity. The National Conference on State Legislatures includes the last three of these in their publication entitled “Principles of a High-Quality State Revenue System.” They did not […]
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy: The Facts About Florida Taxes- Among the Lowest in the Nation
January 14, 2013
The current emphasis in Tallahassee on cutting state taxes obscures important facts about Florida’s state tax system and about choices available to balance the budget and meet the needs of Floridians. When Governor Rick Scott unveils his first budget proposal Monday, it is expected to include a reduction in the corporate income tax rate and […]
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy: Tax Giveaways to Corporations Deserve a Look As Floridians Mark Tax Day
January 14, 2013
“This initial report examines a small portion of the many “economic development incentive” programs funded by the legislature that direct tens of millions of tax dollars each year to corporations under the guise of job creation. Whether the subsidies work often is open to question. Official state reports suggest that half or more of the […]
Tallahassee Democrat: Earle Klay: Educators should heed a warning
January 3, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) May 13, 2009 My View When I was an undergraduate in the early 1960s at the University of South Florida, a legislative committee under Sen. Charley Johns forced our president to fire professors suspected of being either homosexual or communist. One of my professors was fired mid-term because he had traveled […]
Bradenton Herald: Fla. Tax system one of least fair
January 3, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) Posted on Fri, Nov. 20, 2009 State is second worst, survey says By JENNIFER RICH [email protected] If you are a Florida resident with low to moderate income, you are paying a disproportionate amount of state and local taxes. So says a nationwide study of state tax systems that shows Florida has […]
South Florida Business Journal: Report: Florida’s tax system among worst
January 3, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) Wednesday, November 18, 2009 South Florida Business Journal Florida’s poorest residents pay a far higher share of their income in state and local taxes than do the richest families in the state, according to a newly released report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. […]
Orlando Sentinel: Think tank says Florida tax system hardest on working class
January 3, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) posted by Jim Stratton on Nov 18, 2009 10:56:10 AM Florida’s tax system is among the worst in the nation in terms of pushing the financial burden onto low and middle-income residents, according to a new study by a D.C.-based think tank. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy — which […]
Tallahassee Democrat: Tobacco tax, It’s a symptom of bad fiscal habits
January 3, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) November 22, 2009 It’s a symptom of bad fiscal habits When the Legislature was debating last spring whether to raise money by substantially boosting the taxes on tobacco, a couple of arguments were all that caused even a pause in enthusiasm for this “sin tax.” One was that it would likely […]
Wonk Room: Florida’s Incoming Republican Speaker Casts Doubt On Scott’s Plan To Cut Spending
January 3, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) By Pat Garofalo on Sep 13th, 2010 at 7:50 pm Florida’s Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Scott — when he’s not spending an inordinate amount of time discussing policies over which he’d have no control as governor — likes to tout his economic growth plan, which involves large tax cuts and supposedly […]
Ocala: Poverty rises, while taxes benefit wealthy
January 3, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) By Alan Stonecipher Special to the Star-Banner Published: Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 6:30 a.m. FLORIDA FOCUS The number of Floridians living below the federal poverty level increased between 2007 and 2009 by almost 550,000 — equal to the population of the cities of Orlando and Tampa combined. New U.S. Census […]
Gainesville Sun: Alison Law: Behind Paula’s rant, serious questions about taxes
January 3, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) By Alison Law Special to The Sun Published: Friday, November 26, 2010 at 6:01 a.m. Airport scanners and personal tax bills have a lot in common. We all know what’s under the clothing or in the tax bills, but both are offensive when displayed in public. The County Commission swearing in […]
