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 Releases 2023 Budget Turkey Watch Report

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released its 2023 Budget Turkey Watch Report, an independent review of the state’s $117 billion Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget. Since 1983, FTW has provided Floridians with­­ this additional level of oversight by identifying individual appropriations that circumvent a thoughtful and thorough budget process. The annual Budget Turkey Watch Report is based on the principle that, because funds appropriated by the legislature belong to Florida taxpayers, the process must be transparent and accountable, and every appropriation should receive proper deliberation and public debate. 

Florida TaxWatch Presents APRNs as Solid Solution to Palliative Care and Hospice Physician Shortage

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released Physician Shortages: Better Utilization of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in Palliative Medicine Could Provide Relief, a briefing explaining how fully utilizing the advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) workforce has the potential to significantly mitigate the existing physician shortage and similar issues that may arise in the future, particularly in palliative care and hospice facilities.

Statement by Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro on Gov. DeSantis Signing Tax Relief Package, Upcoming Sales Tax Holidays

/ Categories: Cost Savings, Taxes, Releases

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.

Florida TaxWatch Releases Update on Labor Market Conditions

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released Labor Market Data Indicates a Cool-Down: Could Florida’s Workforce Experience a Cold Summer?, an economic commentary explaining how the dynamics of the labor market, which have given job seekers the upper hand since 2021, may begin to shift in favor of employers and ultimately neutralize. The commentary also explores how this change might impact Florida’s highly reactive economy.

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