With the April 15 filing deadline behind us, we're well aware of when taxes are due. But do you know when your taxes are paid?
According to the non-profit Tax Foundation (www.taxfoundation.org), Floridians did not pay off their annual tax bill until April 26, that's yesterday. You'll spend one-third of the year working for federal, state, and local governments before you begin working for yourself.
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Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, announced a Florida summit on global climate change called "Serve to Preserve."
It's like high school again this afternoon in the Florida House.
Speaker Marco Rubio has presented members with a yearbook of sorts, a glossy hardcover photo book called 60 days. "This isn't about ideas," Rubio said, alluding to his 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future. "It's not about me necessarily."
More tax breaks for a select few in Florida?
Making sure that the state can give its tax dollars to the church?
Those are the big ideas for fixing Florida's tax structure?
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A proposal critics say would not only allow school voucher programs but require them went on the November ballot Friday.
Voters will also be able to require schools to spend at least 65 percent of their budgets in the classroom as part of the same proposed constitutional amendment.
In what amounts to little more than an election-year statement, the House voted 79-38 on Wednesday to put a sweeping government revenue cap on the November ballot.
The resolution (HJR 7125) by Rep. Frank Attkisson, R-St. Cloud, would tie the growth in all government revenue to population and inflation plus 1 percent.
Orlando-based Ax The Tax has added its name to the list of groups that have come out against the state taxation reform commission's property tax swap.
Leading up to this week's vote, that list has been heavy on business lobbyists who fear their clients could be smacked with service taxes or lose their tax breaks if the $9.5 billion property tax cut passes at the polls in November.
After promising the Amendment 1 property tax cut was an opening salvo, Florida legislators are poised to end their 2008 legislative sessio without taking another shot.
However, Republicans in the Florida House want to make it easier for property owners to challenge their assessments, reviving an idea they considered and dropped a year ago.
A special panel of economic advisors calculated Monday that a plan backed by House Speaker Marco Rubio for limiting property taxes would cost cities, counties and other taxing districts about $6.3 billion.
That's a lot less than the $8 billion Rubio predicted last November when he threw his support behind a petition campaign for a constitutional amendment that would cap property taxes at 1.35 percent of value.
TAMPA - A slowing economy and stagnant real estate market has translated into a record year of late property taxes.
Tax collectors in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties are reporting dramatically higher numbers of people who missed the April 1 deadline to pay their property tax bill. In Hillsborough County, the increase is near 30 percent.
TALLAHASSEE — A 25 percent cut in property taxes would seem to be sweet relief for the state's largest businesses, which stand to save billions of dollars.
But instead, business groups are ferociously attacking a plan that would cut $9 billion of property taxes and replace it by increasing the state sales tax and expanding it to include dozens of services and products.
Florida families will have to shop a little faster if they want to take advantage of the tax-free period for buying school clothes next summer.
The back-to-school sales tax holiday will be a week long this year, three days shorter than years past, in an effort to save state money.
Sen. Mike Haridopolos has a new Web site attacking the "tax swap" proposal being considered by the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission. (see post below for his public hearing this morning on the plan.)
TALLAHASSEE — A House panel Tuesday revived Florida's version of a Taxpayers Bill of Rights, a day after a powerful commission killed an attempt to place it on the November ballot.
The measure would cap revenue for on state and local governments and would prevent the public sector from expanding faster than the economy or the taxpayers' ability to pay for it.
After suffering a crippling defeat the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, Florida's anti-tax revolt flares again today in the House.
A government revenue capping measure similar to the one that failed in the powerful commission takes center stage today in the House Policy and Budget Council.
A revenue cap is not headed to the November ballot.
The Taxation and Budget Reform Commission has just killed a weaker version of the cap which would have required two-thirds approval by local and state officials for any fee or tax. Proponents wanted a stronger cap, which tied revenue growth to population and inflation, but clung to hope today that the compromise plan would muster 17 votes.
It got 14.
"If you vote no today, you don't think government has a problem with spending," said commissioner Mike Hogan, the Duval County tax collector who sponsored the original proposal. "This is as good as we could get." His closing argument drew applause from the packed audience. But the vote also drew cheers.
John McKay's tax swap may be threatened if the tax cap goes down today. (and it did. see above)
Taxation commission Mike Hogan said he is going to change his vote because a 1-cent sales tax increase would not cover enough of the revenue shortfall. Hogan said it was not clear during debate that the increase would be limited to a penny.
TALLAHASSEE — A House panel signed off on new property tax cuts that could limit annual spikes in home valuations and allow partial payments of tax bills.
The House Government Efficiency and Accountability Council approved two bills affecting the taxes Tuesday. But with less than a month left in the legislative session, both are far from becoming law, including a measure that fixes a tax-increasing quirk of Save Our Homes.
Jeb Bush and his protégé Marco Rubio, the speaker of the Florida House, have been contacting members of the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission urging a "yes" vote on the revenue cap. At last count, proponents had 16 votes -- one short of the 17 needed for passage.
UPDATE: It's official. A vote will be put off and no new amendments will be accepted after noon Tuesday. Public testimony will continue today until 6 p.m. The final vote will be April 14.
It's the ultimate taboo in Tallahassee. The T-word. Taxes.
Gov. Charlie Crist and his fellow Republican lawmakers would rather discuss just about anything else. A mind-set grips the Capitol that cutting spending is the only way to manage an epic downturn in revenue, "no matter the consequences," as one veteran lobbyist put it this week.
Count Gov. Charlie Crist a big fan so far of the state tax reform commission.
The governor said Tuesday morning he generally support all three of the most controversial constitutional amendments the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission has floated.
TALLAHASSEE — Despite a 10 percent cut to their state spending plan for next year, House lawmakers said Monday that a historic run of budget shortfalls might not be over.
"We are in uncharted waters," said House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami. "I don't think we've ever been in this place - certainly not in modern history in Florida."
