FICPA: State Tax

Firefighters� and Police Officers� Pension Trust Funds Excise Taxes on Insurance Premiums Chapters 175 and 185, Florida Statutes - Updated Electronic Address/Jurisdiction Database for Determination of Insurance Premium Tax Situs

Updated Electronic Address/Jurisdiction Database for Determination of Insurance Premium Tax Situs A Feature ID place code field has been added to the address/jurisdiction database as a new field. The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Feature Identifier (Feature ID) has superseded the FIPS 55 database Place Code as the federal and national standard geographical feature record identifier. Communications services tax TIP 09A19-04 has more detailed information on the new Feature ID place code.

Communications Services Tax (CST) Address/Jurisdiction Database

Notice to Dealers Using the Department of Revenue�s CST Address/Jurisdiction Database Feature ID Place Code Field Added to the Department�s Address/Jurisdiction Database A Feature ID place code field has been added to the Address/Jurisdiction Database as a new field. The FIPS 55 place code will still remain as a field in the database. This change will be reflected in the downloadable database available October 3, 2009, effective for January 2010. Therefore, the October 2009 database will have two codes for each local jurisdiction currently in the database: the new PLACE FEATURE ID code and the PLACE FIPS code.

Changes in Local Communications Services Tax Rates Effective Jan. 1, 2010

Effective January 1, 2010, some local communications services tax (CST) rates will change. These local tax rate changes are pursuant to an ordinance adopted by the governing authority of the county or municipality. The local tax rate for CST includes both the local rate imposed under the CST statute (Section 202.19, Florida Statutes) and the discretionary sales surtax imposed under the sales and use tax statute (Section 212.055, F.S.). The new rates are effective for all bills issued on or after January 1, 2010, regardless of the date the service is rendered or transacted. These rates will stay in effect until further notice by the Department of Revenue.

Small Business Angst Rises as Tax Deadline Nears (ftr: G. Spoor)

These are anxious times for some small business owners who face an Oct. 15 due date for their 2008 income tax returns. These owners got extensions of the deadline for filing their returns back in April but aren't ready to file. Or, they can't pay the government the money they owe. Some of them are just disorganized. Others might be having a cash flow crunch. No matter what the problem is, if you're one of these owners, you must submit your return by the deadline or face big penalties for late filing. And not filing your return will only prolong the agony.

ACORN Smears Itself

Congress was right to begin financially separating itself from ACORN, a nonprofit agency that has demonstrated political bias, arrogance and lax accountability. Long a target of conservatives, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now has grown into so powerful a network that the liberal lawmakers it supports have seemed afraid to criticize it, even when it proved untrustworthy.

Halted Reservoir Construction Leaves South Florida Taxpayers with $280 Million Tab

Thundering explosions that shook the earth and stopped traffic on U.S. 27 once signaled progress in South Florida's long-stalled struggle to provide water to revive the Everglades. Work crews spent nearly two years scraping away muck and blasting through limestone to lay the groundwork for a city-sized reservoir on farmland in southwest Palm Beach County.

Oct. 2009

Sept. 2009

Aug. 2009

Counties Endure Decline in Tax Revenue

They may not "drop like a rock," as Gov. Charlie Crist promised, but local property taxes are projected to fall $730 million, or 6.8 percent, this year, according to the latest projections by the Florida Association of Counties. The study shows that of the $1.5 billion in property tax revenue reductions over the past three years, nearly half, 48 percent, can be chalked up to plunging property values.

South Florida Property Value Appeals on Rise

With tax rates rising, South Florida home owners are rushing to file appeals of their property assessments in order to lower their property tax bills. The deadline is Friday. With the deadline to file property assessment appeals only two days away, local tax appeal firms say they are being overwhelmed by the crush of property owners hoping to lower their taxes. ``We're up to our ears in alligators,'' said Larry Puyanic with Tax Savers of Miami. ``We don't have enough people to man the phones.'' Property owners in Miami-Dade and Broward counties have until Friday to file an appeal to challenge their tax assessments and pay the $15 filing fee.

Palm Beach County School Board Approves 10 Perfect Tax Increase

PALM BEACH COUNTY - The cost of running Palm Beach County public schools this year is $2.7 billion, and taxpayers will be asked to dig deeper to support the bottom line. The School Board today adopted the 2009-10 spending plan, which depends on a 10 percent tax rate increase, and also raises class sizes a bit. Officials said last year's tax rate, combined with lower property values, would not bring in enough cash to balance the budget, even with limits on hiring and expenses.

Council OKs 1-cent Bed Tax Hike

Another cent on St. Johns County's bed tax has the approval of the county's Tourism Development Council. The newly reformed TDC on Monday heard a presentation from TDC executive director Glenn Hastings. He said estimates show that in 2010, one penny will mean $1.5 million in revenue.

Lawmakers Want Fee Hikes Repealed

A group of 15 Democrats in the Florida House will try to roll back the flood of fee increases and higher license charges that angered drivers across the state last month. So will three Republicans. But, as if to underscore the partisan divide in the Legislature, House members are pursuing that goal with two separate but identical bills. With Republicans controlling the House and Senate, as well as the governor's office, the GOP version of the repeal stands a better chance in the 2010 legislative session.

State Considers Pay-Per-Mile Motorists' Tax

nstead of taxing motorists on how much gas they buy, a new idea taxes them for how far they drive. Facing a likely future of dwindling gas-tax income, some Florida transportation officials are promoting a new way to raise money for highways and bridges: charging motorists by the mile. Called the VMT, or vehicle miles traveled tax, the idea is that drivers would pay depending on how far they go, rather than how much gasoline they pump into their cars.