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

/ Categories: Op-Eds

Expanding Job Opportunities for Non-Violent Offenders

With more than‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ100,000‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩinmates‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩbehind bars,‚Ä≠ ‚ĨFlorida’s correctional population is among the largest in the United States.

One of the primary causes for the high population is that more than two-thirds of offenders are re-arrested and‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩmore than one-in-four‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩreturn to prison within three years of their release.‚Ä≠  ‚ĨWhen these individuals cycle in and out of state and local facilities,‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩthey run up an enormous bill that is shouldered by Florida taxpayers.‚Ä≠ ‚ĨIt costs an average of‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩnearly‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ$19,000‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩper year to house an inmate‚Ä≠ – ‚Ĩmore than three times the cost of tuition at the University of Florida.‚Ä≠

Allowing‭ ‬non-violent prisoners‭ ‬who have paid their debt to society a better chance to be considered for employment could help reduce recidivism,‭ ‬improve public safety,‭ ‬and‭ ‬save taxpayers millions of‭ ‬dollars each year.

More than‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ30,000‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩinmates are released‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩfrom Florida prisons annually.‚Ä≠ ‚ĨThis means nearly‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ8,000‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩinmates released from prison in‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ2016‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩwill be back‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩbehind bars by‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ2019,‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩand‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ21,000‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩwill have been arrested within that same time frame after unnecessarily hurting Florida’s families and businesses.‚Ä≠ ‚ĨWhile these numbers have decreased in recent years,‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩthey still suggest that Florida must improve‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩthe odds of success for‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩoffenders‚Ä≠’ ‚Ĩre-entry into society.‚Ä≠

One of the most difficult challenges a prisoner faces upon release is finding a steady job.‚Ä≠  ‚ĨThe unemployment rate in Florida has decreased since‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ2010,‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩbut the job market in the Sunshine State remains competitive,‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩposing a challenge for released offenders trying to re-enter the work force.‚Ä≠

While many offenders participate in educational,‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩvocational,‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩand work-release programs before and after their release,‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩthe truth is that no amount of programming can put someone who has served time on an even playing field with someone who has not.‚Ä≠  ‚ĨBeyond legal limits on employment options,‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩreleased offenders also face non-statutory obstacles when they look for work.‚Ä≠  ‚ĨNational studies show that having a record‚Ä≠ (‚Ĩbut otherwise similar backgrounds‚Ä≠) ‚Ĩdecreases the chance of a job applicant receiving a callback after an interview by up to‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ75‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩpercent.‚Ä≠  ‚ĨThis poses a serious problem,‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩas unemployment for offenders has been consistently linked to increases in recidivism and decreased public safety.

The nation has long sought solutions addressing the cycle between unemployment and keeping ex-offenders from returning to prison.‚Ä≠  ‚ĨThe federal government has incentives to encourage employers to consider ex-offenders for employment,‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩthe most notable being the Work Opportunity Tax Credit which allows for up to‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ$9,600‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩin tax reductions for businesses‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩthat hire qualified ex-offenders.‚Ä≠  ‚ĨSeveral states have added to this effort and a similar push in Florida could be beneficial.‚Ä≠  ‚ĨA few policymakers highlighted this during the‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ2015‚Ä≠ ‚ĨLegislative Session in bills that sought to create a‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ$1,000‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩstate tax credit for employers hiring ex-offenders and accepting vocational referrals.

These tax credits actually save taxpayers money.‚Ä≠ ‚ĨFor every‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ100‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩinmates that find employment and do not re-offend,‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩthe state can save at least‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩ$2‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩmillion in future corrections costs.‚Ä≠  ‚ĨThat doesn’t include the increase in public safety that comes with ex-offenders working rather than committing crimes.‚Ä≠ ‚ĨFlorida needs to get serious about improving employment opportunities for ex-offenders.‚Ä≠ ‚ĨAs our legislative leaders search for ways to save taxpayer‚Ä≠’ ‚Ĩmoney,‚Ä≠ ‚Ĩhelping offen ders get to work will make our state safer and allow for investments that will benefit all Floridians rather than maintaining a costly cycle of incarceration.

Dominic M.‭ ‬Calabro is president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch.

Featured in Sunshine State News and the Tallahassee Democrat.
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