Florida House Approves Tax Cut Package

April 10, 2015

The House approved a $690 million tax-cut package Thursday that, in part, would slash taxes on cell-phone and cable-television bills, eliminate sales taxes on college textbooks and provide tax holidays on school supplies and hunting gear.

What the package will look like when the legislative session ends remains unknown, as the Senate has taken a slower approach to tax cuts and is in a budget standoff with the House about health care funding. The House voted 112-3 to approve the package, which is highlighted by Gov. Rick Scott’s call for a 3.6 percentage-point reduction in taxes on cell-phone and pay-TV bills, comprising about $470 million of the package.

“Here’s the questions we have to answer: Do we want people to pay more every month on their cell phone bill and their television bill?” asked House Finance & Tax Chairman Matt Gaetz, a Fort Walton Beach Republican who sponsored the bill. “And these aren’t just rich folks, they’re not just folks who live on the water, these are working-class people.”

A number of Democrats said that while the package has good points, they would like to have seen some of the money used for purposes such as helping needy Floridians and boosting school funding. Rep. Kristin Jacobs, D-Coconut Creek, who along with Democrats Mark Pafford of West Palm Beach and Joe Geller of Aventura voted against the bill, said the reduction in revenue will force local governments to raise taxes or cut back on services. The bill includes a variety of tax breaks and would offer a sales-tax holiday on July 4 for weapons, ammunition, fishing gear and camping tents. Also, it would provide a tax holiday for three days starting July 31 on clothes and back-to-school supplies and a tax holiday two days after Thanksgiving at small businesses.

Comments

2 Responses to “Florida House Approves Tax Cut Package”

  1. molino jim on April 10th, 2015 10:58 am

    @Liberty- I’ve seen part of the bill– it would have been nice to help place more funding toward the schools. I guess cutting the taxes on guns and gun clubs is more important. I wonder if the taxes will also be cut on hunting clubs property?

  2. Liberty on April 10th, 2015 9:30 am

    Just remember,….this IS the republican led house thats cutting taxes and not the money grubbing dems.

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