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

Budget Watch - Florida's Business Tax Climate Judged to be the Nation's 5th Best

A new report by the Tax Foundation evaluates the tax structures of the 50 states and compares them relative to their effect on each state’s business climate. The 2015 Business Tax Climate Index looks at five major tax areas: corporate income taxes, personal income taxes, sales taxes, property taxes and unemployment insurance taxes. The Index evaluates more than 100 variables in these areas to develop scores for each state ranging from 0 (worst) to 10 (best).

Instead of simply comparing how much in taxes each state collects, the report gauges how states structure their tax systems. Generally, the Index favors states that have simple tax structures with low rates and broad bases.

The five tax categories are weighted differently (see chart below). The more variation between state scores, the greater the weight of that category. The report points to evidence that shows that states with the best tax systems will be the most competitive in attracting business investment and fostering economic growth. The report offers the findings to provide a roadmap for improving these tax systems.

Florida fares well in the Index, receiving a score of 6.91, which is the 5th best in the nation. Wyoming is the highest-ranked state with a score of 7.58. The lowest score belongs to New Jersey at 3.43. The other states in the top five are South Dakota, Nevada, and Alaska.

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