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: In the News

Florida TaxWatch In the News (July 2021)

 

Statewide Coverage. Statewide Impact.

Florida TaxWatch is constantly looking to spread the word about our research, recommendations, and programs, all in pursuit of serving each and every taxpayer in Florida. Below is just a selection of where we've popped up in the last few weeks!

PRINT & DIGITAL

Bipartisan Senate Bill Would Create Community-Based Palliative Care Demo (July 30, 2021) 
Hospice News
In addition to the benefits for patients and families, home-based palliative care could reduce societal health care costs by $103 billion nationwide within two decades, the nonprofit economic research group Florida TaxWatch reported in 2019.

Florida tax holiday begins today: How to save money on back-to-school supplies (July 31, 2021)
South Florida Sun Sentinel (Newspaper)
Also, Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro discusses the nonpartisan group’s view of the state budget that just went into effect this week.

Back to School Sales Tax Holiday starts Saturday (July 31, 2021)
WTXXL ABC 27
Florida TaxWatch, a government watchdog organization, estimates that this tax holiday could save families over two to three hundred dollars.

Back-to-school tax holiday poised to start a surge of savings (August 1, 2021)
Florida Politics
This is the third and oldest of three tax holidays the Legislature approved for 2021 and perhaps the one that will save Floridians the most. Floridians won’t have to pay an estimated $69.4 million in taxes, according to TaxWatch.

Florida TaxWatch Principal Leadership Awards: Recognizing, Rewarding, and Replicating Transformational Leadership (July 29, 2021)
Florida Trend Magazine


Florida TaxWatch: Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday Will Save Shoppers $69.4 Million (July 29, 2021)
Florida Daily
“Florida TaxWatch encourages parents to use the upcoming Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday as an opportunity to engage their children in shopping for clothes and supplies, exciting them about returning to the classroom after a stressful school year that, as noted in our recent report, Beyond the Pandemic: Long-Term Changes and Challenges for K-12 Education in Florida, certainly took a toll on both their learning experience and their mental health.

New Florida TaxWatch Report Stresses the Importance of Manufacturing Supply Chains (July 22, 2021)
Florida Daily
This week, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released “Beyond the Pandemic: Long-Term Changes and Challenges for Florida’s Workforce,” the third installment in the taxpayer research institute’s COVID-19 Legacy Series.

Having Trouble Getting Stuff In Florida? Here’s Why (July 22, 2021)
News Radio 610 WIOD (Miami)
At the end of last week, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released “Beyond the Pandemic: Long Term Changes and Challenges for K-12 Education in Florida,” a report which highlights the unprecedented disruptions in learning caused by COVID-19 and the concern for long-term economic and societal risks to students, families, and communities in Florida. 

Report: Florida TaxWatch highlights the effects of supply chain disruption (July 20, 2021)
The Capitolist
Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released a study on Tuesday analyzing the importance and influence of supply chains in today’s economy. The report, Supply Chain Resiliency in the Face of Economic Disruption: Connex Florida as a Platform for Resilience, highlights the impact that major disruptions – like the unprecedented global pandemic – can have, while also presenting Connex Florida as a practical solution to supply chain resiliency going forward.

Florida tax holiday: How to save money on back-to-school supplies (July 14, 2021)
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Florida TaxWatch estimated Floridians saved more than $41.8 million last year during the three-day tax holiday.

Also published in:
South Florida Sun Sentinel (Newspaper)

Guest column: Beyond the Pandemic: Long-term changes and challenges for health in Florida (July 11, 2021)
Florida Times-Union
The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the health care landscape across the U.S. From ushering in broader adoption of telehealth services to increasing the incidence of behavioral health issues, the pandemic has created long-term changes and challenges that will likely persist beyond the official end of the public health emergency. 

How the new online sales tax will affect consumers and businesses (July 12, 2021)
Spectrum News 13Our guests this week:

  • State Sen. Joe Gruters (R-District 23, Sarasota / Chair, Republican Party of Florida)
  • State Sen. Darryl Rouson (D-District 19, St. Petersburg)
  • Dominic Calabro, President/CEO, Florida TaxWatch
 

Radio & Television

WTXL (ABC) 8/2/2021 7:56:20 AM
WTXL (ABC) 8/2/2021 6:33:19 AM
WTXL (ABC) 8/2/2021 5:34:38 AM
WTXL (ABC) 7/31/2021 11:07:40 PM
WTXL (ABC) 7/31/2021 6:36:55 PM
WTXL (ABC) 7/31/2021 7:05:35 AM
WTXL (ABC) 7/31/2021 6:05:19 AM
WTXL (ABC) 7/30/2021 6:09:58 PM
News Radio 610 WIOD 7/22/2021 10:09:33 AM
Central Florida News 13 7/11/2021 11:26:33 AM

Bay News 9 7/11/2021 11:30:21 AM – Part 1
Bay News 9 7/11/2021 11:40:21 AM – Part 2
Bay News 9 7/11/2021 11:45:01 AM – Part 3
Bay News 9 7/11/2021 11:53:00 AM – Part 4
Central Florida News 13 7/11/2021 11:30:03 AM – Part 1

Central Florida News 13 7/11/2021 11:40:03 AM – Part 2

Central Florida News 13 7/11/2021 11:45:17 AM – Part 3
Central Florida News 13 7/11/2021 11:53:15 AM – Part 4
Central Florida News 13 7/11/2021 8:26:33 PM
Bay News 9 7/11/2021 8:29:35 PM – Part 1
Bay News 9 7/11/2021 8:39:35 PM – Part 2
Bay News 9 7/11/2021 8:44:49 PM – Part 3
Bay News 9 7/11/2021 8:52:46 PM – Part 4
Central Florida News 13 7/11/2021 8:30:03 PM – Part 1
Central Florida News 13 7/11/2021 8:40:03 PM – Part 2
Central Florida News 13 7/11/2021 8:45:19 PM – Part 3
Central Florida News 13 7/11/2021 8:53:16 PM – Part 4

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