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

Florida Voters Continue Their Generosity, Approving $1.9 Billion in Local Tax Increases and Almost $1.0 Billion in Bond Issues

2024 Florida Tax & Bond Referenda

This report highlights Florida voters' continued willingness to support local tax increases and bond issues, with a remarkable 89% approval rate for referenda in the 2023-2024 election cycle. Voters approved 31 county-wide sales and property tax increases totaling $1.9 billion annually and 18 bond issues worth nearly $1 billion. The majority of these referenda focused on critical areas such as school funding, infrastructure, public safety, and local government services.

The analysis reveals that Florida relies heavily on local governments to fund public services, with counties, municipalities, school districts, and special districts providing 56.3% of the state's total revenue. While the state has maintained tax cuts since 2009, local taxes—particularly property taxes—are increasing with voter support. Notably, 16 out of 19 sales tax referenda passed, along with all 13 property tax referenda for schools, demonstrating public confidence in local investment.

Florida TaxWatch emphasizes the importance of citizen oversight in these tax increases, recommending the establishment of citizen oversight committees to monitor the spending of new tax revenues. The report underscores that Florida taxpayers are willing to invest in their communities when they believe the returns will be meaningful, particularly for education, infrastructure, and essential public services.

Download the full report here

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