9 Actions Florida Should Take to Help Taxpayers Impacted by Hurricane Ian

1.     Postpone tax notices and waive penalties or interest for late tax filings in affected areas

2.     Extend the date for residents to take advantage of the tax discounts they would normally receive for paying property taxes and special assessments in November and postpone or defer the deadline for property tax installment payments

3.     Protect individual and business taxpayers from the risks for notices that they will likely not receive because their home or business addresses is not accessible anymore

4.     Issue no new audits in severely impacted areas, extend the statute of limitations and postpone existing audits that haven’t reached the assessment stage because these can’t be responded to while entire communities are still recovering

5.     Create procedures for fairly estimating taxes which can’t be calculated because records have been destroyed by the storm, moving away from the current method which significantly overestimates activity if no records are available

6.     Initiate procedures to offer payment plan assistance for late taxes, rather than resorting to the standard collection methods, like liens, levies, or bank freezes

7.     Retroactively apply the recently passed law that provides property tax refunds for residential property rendered uninhabitable as a result of a catastrophic event

8.     Provide tangible personal property relief and allow n on-residential properties rendered uninhabitable to receive property tax refunds

9.     Get Congress to pass a Disaster Tax Relief Act that includes provisions from past packages, including elements such as an Employee Retention Credit, an enhanced casualty loss deduction, and other relief provisions

Other Resources

Florida TaxWatch Statement on Hurricane Ian Recovery

Community Involvement

Florida TaxWatch Announces Dania Elementary School Principal Lewis Jackson as a 2021-22 Principal Leadership Awards Winner

/ Categories: Releases

Dania Beach, Fla. – Today, Thurs., March 17, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) proudly announced that Principal Lewis Jackson of Dania Elementary School in Broward County is among the nine winners of the Florida TaxWatch 2021-22 Principal Leadership Awards (PLA). Through the program, Principal Jackson has also identified one deserving student to receive a full two-year Florida College Scholarship.

Florida TaxWatch Releases Updated Analysis of Consumer Data Privacy Legislation

The taxpayer research institute incorporates recent empirical findings to present potential impacts of HB 9 and SB 1864

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing a Session Spotlight report entitled The Impacts of Consumer Data Privacy on Florida’s Economy. In the report, FTW analyzes HB 9 and SB 1864, proposed legislation that would enact consumer data privacy and provide sweeping changes to how certain Florida businesses interact with their customers’ personal information. The taxpayer research institute builds on an October 2021 report, Who Knows What? An Independent Analysis of the Potential Effects of Consumer Data Privacy Legislation in Floridaand incorporates recent empirical findings to present potential impacts of these bills.

Florida TaxWatch Releases Examination of Ocklawaha River Restoration Alternatives

he government watchdog recommends breaching of the George Kirkpatrick Dam and partial restoration of Rodman Reservoir to expand the river habitat

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing A River (No Longer) Runs Through It: Ocklawaha River Restoration, a report wherein the government watchdog examines the recreational, economic, and environmental impacts of full retention and partial restoration of the Ocklawaha River, which flows north from central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River near Palatka. 

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