Statement by Senator Charlie Justice on Florida's Tax System: 2nd Worst in U.S.

Senator Charlie Justice (D-St. Petersburg) on Friday released the following statement regarding Florida’s tax system:

“In a November 2009 report by the Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy, it was revealed that Florida's tax system ranked 49th out of 50th for tax burden on low to middle income families. This ranking comes on the heels of the 2009 Session where the Florida Legislature raised taxes and fees by almost $2 billion dollars, and true tax reform took a back seat to massive fee increases.

“When families in the lowest income bracket are paying over 13% of their income, and people in the wealthiest bracket are only paying about 2% of their income, there is a problem. The solutions will no doubt be challenging, but as Vice Chair of the Senate Finance and Tax Committee, I believe the State of Florida can and must do better.

“Major tax reform in our state is long overdue, but with unemployment over 10%, and families struggling to get by, we cannot wait for tax reform to just happen, we must make it happen. Not diversifying our revenue streams to become less reliant on the Sales Tax, and not closing Sales and Corporate Income Tax exemptions that cater to corporate special interests will only continue the pattern of hardworking families bearing the burden of a poor economy. The stakes could not be higher for Florida’s families, and I urge my colleagues to make true tax reform a top priority.”

Read the issue brief here:

http://www.fcfep.org/images/20091118--Florida%20Taxes%20ITEP.pdf