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 to Host 2023 Spring Meeting in Orlando Tomorrow, Thurs., May 18

/ Categories: Releases

Orlando, Fla. – Tomorrow, Thurs., May 18, from 12 p.m. until 8:30 p.m., Florida TaxWatch (FTW) will host its 2023 Spring Meeting in Orlando. After the 2022-23 Principal Leadership Awards Luncheon – which will honor two winners from Orange and Brevard Counties – FTW board members and guests will engage in issue-specific panel discussions and hear from several high-profile speakers, including keynote remarks from the Department of Education’s Senior Chancellor Henry Mack and the Executive Office of the Governor’s Director of Policy and Budget Chris Spencer. A prominent leader of the Central Florida business community will also be surprised with the prestigious FTW Chairman’s Award.

Florida TaxWatch Emphasizes Value and Recommends Continuation of Florida’s Hospice Certificate of Need (CON) Program

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released Florida’s Certificate of Need Program Delivers High Quality Hospice Care, a report emphasizing the value and recommending the continuation of Florida’s hospice Certificate of Need (CON) program. The program, which is intended to increase statewide access to hospice care, allows for the addition of providers only if an area’s growth rate suggests there will be an unmet need – as determined by a population-based formula – for those services.

 

Florida TaxWatch Releases Initial Review of Florida’s Fiscal Year 2023-24 Budget, Focuses on $670 Million Added Through Sprinkle Lists

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released $670 Million Added to the New State Budget Through the Sprinkle Lists Deserves Close Scrutiny During the Governor’s Veto Deliberations, an initial review of Florida’s Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget, focusing on the $670 million that was added through supplemental appropriations, or “sprinkle lists,” developed by the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Statement by Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro on Final Passage of Tax Relief Package

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – The statement below, to be attributed to Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro, pertains to the final passage of HB 7063: Taxation during today’s House session. 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 Examines Impact Fees, Effect on Housing Costs in Florida

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released The Impacts of Impact Fees on the Cost of Housing. Impact fees are (typically) one-time payments imposed by local governments on property developers to generate funds necessary to accommodate the impacts of new development on existing public facilities and services. FTW undertakes this independent research to better understand the effect of these fees on housing costs in Florida.

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