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

Gobbling Up Sales: The Economic Impact Of Thanksgiving And The Start Of Holiday Shopping

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Thanksgiving for most people often invokes images of family gatherings, turkey, and football. But for retailers, it invokes images of large crowds of shoppers and dollar signs. Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday are cash cows for businesses, particularly the retail and food industries. Those days are also important for Florida, as the state will collect a six percent sales and use tax on most of the goods purchased by shoppers, except for most grocery items.

Florida’s Fiscal Strength Ranked 5th Best In Nation

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A recent study by George Mason University’s Mercatus Center reviewed the fiscal health of the United States, breaking down each state individually for comparison across several standardized metrics. In this month’s Economic Commentary, Florida TaxWatch analyzed the study and provided analysis focused on our state.

Statement From Dominic M. Calabro, President And CEO Of Florida Taxwatch On Governor Rick Scott's Budget Plan For Fiscal Year 2016-17

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“The Governor’s budget includes smart, targeted tax cuts to stimulate business growth while investing in critical areas like child protection and education to ensure all Floridians have the opportunity to pursue success in school and in life," said Dominic M. Calabro, President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch.
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