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

An Analysis of the Tax Treatment of Credit Unions: Value of Florida Credit Unions’ Exemption Is Now $259 Million

Credit Union Tax Exemption Report Cover

Florida TaxWatch reveals the value of credit unions' tax exemptions has surged to $259 million annually - a 154% increase since 2003. This comprehensive analysis examines how evolving financial services and aggressive consolidation have transformed Florida's credit union landscape, with assets growing from $25.6 billion in 2001 to $110.8 billion in 2023.

The report details how 7.2 million Floridians now belong to credit unions that operate nearly identically to taxable banks, offering commercial loans, credit cards, and wealth management services. Despite this competitive parity, credit unions remain exempt from $188.7 million in corporate income taxes and $53.9 million in sales taxes annually. The analysis highlights that 84% of exemption value comes from just 21% of credit unions holding over $1 billion in assets.

Key findings include: - Credit union acquisitions of taxable banks remove $16.4 million annually from tax rolls - Florida's 26 largest credit unions control 83.8% of total industry assets - A typical $150M credit union avoids $259,200 in taxes paid by comparable banks - Federal exemptions account for 57% of total tax savings ($147.8M)

The report urges reevaluation of tax policy as credit unions increasingly mirror commercial banks, noting Congress revoked similar exemptions for savings & loans in 1951. With consolidation accelerating - 75% of assets now controlled by billion-dollar institutions - Florida TaxWatch calls for renewed debate about equitable taxation of financial institutions.

Meet the Authors:

Kurt Wenner
Kurt Wenner
Senior Vice President of Research
LinkedIn
Caroline Stevens
Caroline Stevens
Research Fellow

Documents to download

Print
2552 Rate this article:
5.0