Latest news with #Florida-first
Miami Herald
07-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Proposed sales-tax cut caught in the middle as DeSantis, Florida House speaker feud
Politics Proposed sales-tax cut caught in the middle as DeSantis, Florida House speaker feud Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shakes hands with Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, after delivering his State of the State during the first day of the legislative session at the Florida State Capitol on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Tallahassee, Fla. mocner@ It's not every day that a Florida Republican comes out against a tax cut. But that's what happened Wednesday at a Tampa news conference when Ron DeSantis voiced his opposition to a Florida House plan to cut the state sales tax. 'We need to have a Florida-first tax policy here,' DeSantis said. 'Any Florida-last tax package is going to be dead on arrival.' The veto threat from DeSantis comes as state legislative leaders haggle over Florida's finances. The allotted 60-day legislative session came and went without lawmakers agreeing on how to craft the 12-figure state budget. Last week, Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, announced they had agreed to a budget framework that included billions in new tax cuts. The governor said it would permanently lower the state's sales tax by 0.25% — from 6% to 5.75%. DeSantis' threat to veto such a cut could throw a wrench into the ongoing budget talks. The governor's reasons for opposing the sales tax cut are many. He said the cut would disproportionately benefit out-of-town visitors at the expense of the state's fiscal health. He said the sales tax cut wouldn't do enough to help families struggling to afford groceries to justify its cost. DeSantis prefers a plan to lower property tax rates, which he says would more directly benefit residents. Earlier this year, he called for lawmakers to give homeowners a rebate on their property taxes. 'This would basically kill any chance of doing property relief for folks,' DeSantis said of the potential sales tax cut. 'Because what are they going to say next year? 'Oh, well, we don't have the money to do property tax relief.'' In response, Perez said the governor is 'confused.' The House speaker said in an emailed statement that the state can lower both state and property taxes. And he noted the governor has supported numerous sales tax holidays in the past. 'I give the Governor credit for starting this debate, but he's had months to produce an actual plan to lower property tax rates, and we're still waiting,' Perez said in the statement. 'An imaginary plan can't cut real taxes.' Any changes to property taxes would have to come either from the local level or from a constitutional ballot referendum that gets the approval of 60% of voters. DeSantis has pushed for lawmakers to craft such a referendum to put before voters. Last week, Perez formed a House committee to study the property tax issue. He plans for the committee to meet throughout the spring, summer and fall to weigh various policies. At the news conference Wednesday, DeSantis took a shot at Perez's committee. 'You don't convene a 37-person committee when you're trying to get something done,' DeSantis said. 'You convene a 37-person committee if you're trying to smother it in the crib.' This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 4:59 PM.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DeSantis proposes property tax break, disses idea for sales tax break
Gov. Ron DeSantis said he wants to save Floridians about $1,000 on their property tax bills over the next year, escalating a dispute with the House speaker over how to cut taxes this year. During a Monday news conference, DeSantis said he wanted the state to pick up the tab for a portion of property taxes for about 5 million homesteaded properties. The maneuver would save those homeowners about $1,000 on their property tax bills, he said. The proposal — which DeSantis did not include in his proposed budget for the next fiscal year — is a response to House Speaker Daniel Perez's surprise announcement last week that he wanted to permanently shave 0.75% from the state's sales tax. Cutting the sales tax would save Floridians about $5 billion each year, the same amount as DeSantis' proposal. 'People, one, are not clamoring for sales tax relief, they're clamoring for property tax relief,' DeSantis said Monday. 'There's no property tax relief in that proposal.' DeSantis said another problem with the House initiative is that it would benefit anyone who spends money in Florida, including 'foreigners … visitors and part-time residents.' 'I think the tax relief needs to be focused on Floridians,' DeSantis said. 'We need a Florida-first tax package.' Senate President Ben Albritton wrote in a memo Monday that while he was 'open-minded to an 'all of the above' approach' regarding the two competing tax-relief efforts, he wanted the new tax cuts to be 'predominantly' for one year only. 'Cutting taxes now does little good if they have to be raised two years from now to address budget shortfalls,' Albritton wrote to senators. His comment refers to a projection by state economists that Florida is facing a $10 billion shortfall in the next three years. Perez told the Times/Herald in a statement that he was 'pleased that the Governor has embraced the House's record-breaking spending reductions.' 'I welcome the Governor's proposal and look forward to more conversations on how we deliver meaningful tax relief for every Floridian to help make Florida more affordable, but just as importantly, to shrink the size and excess of government on all levels,' Perez said. Perez told reporters last week that while he supported property tax cuts, the Legislature didn't have direct control over it like it does in cutting sales taxes. DeSantis earlier this month said that he wanted lawmakers to come up with a constitutional amendment for the 2026 ballot to eliminate or reduce property taxes. Changing property taxes requires approval from at least 60% of voters in an election. DeSantis' idea would give homeowners relief before then, if lawmakers approve it before the legislative session is scheduled to end May 2. 'This would be a kind of opening salvo to what the main event would be in November of 2026,' he said.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. DeSantis proposes to reduce property tax
ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA)— Governor Ron DeSantis holds a news conference on Monday in Orlando to speak about property tax relief. Gov. DeSantis was at Florida Realtors in Orlando with Tim from Florida Realtors. DeSantis spoke about property tax relief for Floridians where homestead exemption is not enough. House of Representatives proposed a $5 million target for tax relief, according to DeSantis. 'I think the tax relief needs to be focused on Floridians. We need a Florida-first tax package,' DeSantis said. DeSantis also spoke about Florida tolls, home insurance, and auto insurance. DeSantis asked legislatures that the $5 million immediate relief would go to all Florida homestead owners. This would cut $1,000 for all homestead Floridians on their property taxes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
