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

Download the Recommendations

Other Resources

Florida Disaster.biz
FEMA
Florida Department of Financial Services
Florida SBDC
Disaster Contractors Network
Florida Disaster Fund

Florida TaxWatch Statement on Hurricane Ian Recovery

Community Involvement

/ Categories: Releases

Florida TaxWatch Along with Panama City and Bay County Leaders to Hold Press Conference Related to the 2020 Census

Panama City, Fla. – On Wednesday, February 19, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro will be joined by city and county leaders in Panama City to announce efforts that will encourage Floridians to participate in the 2020 Census.

As the third-largest state in the country and one of the fastest-growing, the upcoming Federal Census count will be more important to the Sunshine State than nearly any other state. If Florida is under-represented by the decennial population count, it could cost the state billions of dollars.

WHAT:

Florida TaxWatch 2020 Census Press Conference

Panama City and Bay County Leaders

WHEN:

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

1:00 – 1:30 p.m.

WHERE:

Bay County Commission Chambers

840 W 11th Street Panama City, FL 32401

WHO:

Bay County Commission Vice Chairman Robert Carroll

Panama City City Manager Mark McQueen

Florida TaxWatch President & CEO Dominic M. Calabro

Media is invited to attend. Please coordinate with McKinley Lewis via email at mckinley@on3pr.com  or by phone 813.469.4538 (cell).

About Florida TaxWatch

As an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit government watchdog & taxpayer research institute for forty years, the trusted eyes and ears of Florida taxpayers, Florida TaxWatch, works to improve the productivity and accountability of Florida government. Its research recommends productivity enhancements and explains the statewide impact of fiscal and economic policies and practices on citizens and businesses. Florida TaxWatch is supported by voluntary, tax-deductible donations and private grants, and does not accept government funding. Donations provide a solid, lasting foundation that has enabled Florida TaxWatch to bring about a more effective, responsive government that is more accountable to, and productive for, the citizens it serves since 1979. For more information, please visit http://www.floridataxwatch.org.

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