SB 1112 – Relating to Taxation

On Monday, March 11, SB 1112 by Senator Joe Gruters (R-Sarasota) was heard before the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee and was reported favorably with 5 yeas and 0 nays. AIF’s Senior Vice President of State and Federal Affairs, Brewster Bevis, stood in support of this legislation.

This bill provides for several tax reductions and modifications, such as:

• Exempts specified mobile heavy equipment from ad valorem taxation;
• Reduces the state tax rate on the rental, lease, or license to use commercial real property from 5.7 percent to 4.2 percent;
• Creates a 14-day sales tax holiday for specified disaster preparedness supplies from June 1, 2019, through June 14, 2019;
• Clarifies when remote sales (mail, phone, internet, or other communication) are subject to Florida sales and use taxation;
• Provides for the taxation of sales facilitated through a marketplace provider; and
• Requires a marketplace provider to collect and remit the tax on taxable sales made by marketplace sellers.
  
  

SB 1112 will now move to the Senate Finance and Tax Committee.

AIF supports legislation that reduces taxes and provides a level playing field for Florida’s brick and mortar stores and online retailers.

SB 1000 – Relating to Communication Services Taxes 

On Tuesday, March 12, SB 1000 by Senator Travis Hutson (R-Palm Coast) was heard before the Senate Innovation, Industry, and Technology Committee and was reported favorably with 9 yeas and 0 nays. AIF’s Senior Vice President of State and Federal Affairs, Brewster Bevis, stood in support of this legislation. 

This bill reduces the state tax on general communications services from 4.92% to 3.92%, and on direct-to-home satellite services from 9.02% to 8.07% and also revises the authority for municipalities and counties to impose permit fees on communications providers that use municipal or county roads or right-of-ways. This bill eliminates all the current provisions on local governments electing whether to require and collect permit fees and effectively freezes local government elections on collection of permit fees, providing that a municipality or county that chose to impose permit fees on or before January 1, 2019, may continue to impose such fees, while a municipality or county that did not impose permit fees as of January 1, 2019, may not impose such fees. 

SB 1000 will now move to the Senate Finance and Tax Committee. 

AIF supports legislation that will reduce the communications services tax and have a positive financial impact on all consumers in Florida who pay for cable or satellite service.