Tallahassee, Fla. – The statement below, to be attributed to Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro, pertains to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signage of HB 7063: Taxation, the state’s tax relief package, and the two upcoming sales tax holidays that will now be implemented on Sat., May 27 (Disaster Preparedness) and Mon., May 29 (Freedom Summer). To learn more and/or schedule an interview with President and CEO Calabro, please contact Aly Coleman Raschid at aly@on3pr.com or 850.391.5040.

Credit cards provide a convenience for consumers and merchants when shopping, both in-person or online. This convenience comes at a cost for merchants since credit card companies charge them an interchange fee (or “swipe fee”) on each credit card purchase. Throughout the last decade, credit card utilization and popularity have increased drastically for a brick-and-mortar businesses and e-commerce businesses. 

Florida has remained in good financial standing this past fiscal year. This is also true of the state’s debt position. FY 2021-22 marks the ninth consecutive year with a debt ratio below the six percent target established by the Legislature. In addition:

The gap between Florida’s infrastructure needs and what Florida currently has is nearly $2.59 trillion over ten years. By year 2039, a continued underinvestment in Florida’s infrastructure at current rates will have serious economic consequences — $10 trillion in lost Gross Domestic Product (GDP), more than 3 million lost jobs, and $2.4 trillion in lost exports. Two creative solutions are public-private partnerships (PPPs) and public-public partnerships (PUPs). Why then, are there not more PPPs and PUPs? 

Fiscally, Florida is in good condition. This is also true of the state’s debt position. FY 2020-21 marks the eighth consecutive year with a debt ratio below the 6 percent target.

As Thanksgiving nears and we think about the many blessings we have to be thankful for, here’s another one to add to the list: groceries are exempt from the Florida sales tax.

Application surges during the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed the shortcomings of the current state-administered, federal safety net programs, especially the Reemployment Assistance (Unemployment Insurance) program. This report explores Florida’s opportunity to implement more efficient and cost-effective business processes, thus reducing the size of government, saving the taxpayers money, and improving service delivery to Floridians in need.

As the nation recovers from one of the worst economic recessions in history, Florida continues to battle unprecedented fiscal challenges and budget shortfalls that have made business-as-usual in state government unsustainable. In response to this crisis, this report presents immediately actionable ideas in the event that a significant budget deficit occurs in FY2020-21.

In this research report, TaxWatch looks at the success of the IMR program in California in an attempt to answer the question “what if IMR was in use in Florida?” TaxWatch is pleased to present policymakers and stakeholders with an independent analysis of a program we think may be helpful in keeping the costs of workers’ compensation insurance down while helping to ensure that injured workers receive appropriate treatment.

Find out all about what happened this Session with the TaxWatch Legislative Wrap Up.