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

Public Records Laws Must Be Reformed To Stop Misuse While Protecting Citizen Oversight Of Government, Says New TaxWatch Report

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Florida’s taxpayers are being taken advantage of by profiteering individuals abusing the state’s public records laws for personal and financial gain, and by public records requests that serve no legitimate public interest other than harassing public agencies. This misuse of the Public Records Act costs taxpayers money and makes government less efficient, according to a new report by Florida TaxWatch.

Statement On The Passage Of Senate Bill Addressing Telehealth Expansion That Will Provide Greater Health Care Access While Saving Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars

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Telehealth – the use of technology to expand health care access to all Floridians – is finally receiving legislative support as lawmakers consider efforts to cut red tape and allow more healthcare providers to offer routine visits and check-ups via computers, telephones, and smartphone apps.

New Taxwatch Report Analyzes Lower General Revenue Estimates For State Budget

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Amidst international market uncertainty, the state General Revenue Estimating Conference decreased its original estimate of General Revenue collections that would be available for the state budget. The Legislature will have $395.6 million less than previously estimated in October, with $31.257 billion available for the fiscal year 2016-17 state budget.

After Strong 2015, A Sunny Economic Outlook For The Sunshine State In 2016

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Coming off a strong 2015, Florida’s economy will continue to grow in 2016. According to the latest edition of Florida TaxWatch’s Economic Commentary, Florida’s Real Gross State Product is expected to grow 3.1 percent in 2016, higher than the national rate. Additionally, job growth is expected to continue to improve, with most experts predicting between 2.2 – 2.9 percent job growth in 2016.
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