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

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Growing Economy Means More Money for 2016-17 State Budget

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - State economists predict lawmakers will have $657.5 million more than previously anticipated for the next state budget. The latest General Revenue (GR) forecast shows the state's GR fund is expected to reach $31.6 billion for the 2016-17 budget year. The growing available funds mean recurring revenues exceed current recurring expenses by $1.6 billion.

"Florida's economy is returning to its pre-recession days, and the available funds for the state budget reflect that strength," said Dominic M. Calabro, President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch. "Tourism is very strong and more Floridians are able to find jobs and they are spending money throughout the state."

The increased budget estimates are due to Florida's steady, if not spectacular, economic recovery. The state's sales tax is the largest source of General Revenue funds, and is projected to bring in $21.957 billion this year, totaling more than 77 percent of total General Revenue.

"Even with more cash to spend, lawmakers can't count on a big budget surplus yet," said Kurt Wenner, Vice President of Research for Florida TaxWatch. "There will be increased costs next year, including an additional 26,000 public school students and at least $500 million in new Medicaid spending. There will still be intense competition for any extra dollars."

In the fall, state economists will create the Long Range Financial Outlook to provide a clearer picture of the projected revenues versus projected expenses. Revenue projections will also be adjusted again before the Legislature begins to draft the 2016-17 budget in January.

The full analysis is available here.

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