Florida TaxWatch releases 2021 Budget Turkey Watch report
It s turkey time at Florida TaxWatch.
Florida TaxWatch released its 2021 Budget Turkey Watch report Monday, which spotlights 116 appropriations for Gov.
Ron DeSantis to reconsider.
By design, the annual report identifies appropriation items the nonprofit watchdog believes sidestepped proper scrutiny. This year, the “turkeys” total $157.5 million.
“The 2021 Budget Turkey Watch Report is our effort to shine a light on member projects that may otherwise have gone unnoticed, without proper public input and debate, and ensure the best interests of Florida taxpayers are being served,” said Florida TaxWatch Senior Vice President of Research
Kurt Wenner.
| 3/1/2021
At the end of January, Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a $96.6-billion budget $4.3 billion over the current year. In making his request, DeSantis cited higher-than-expected revenue for December and January and optimism that Florida’s economy is gaining momentum. But lawmakers, who’ll consider DeSantis’ priorities as they craft the budget, are warning of deep cuts as they grapple with a projected $2.75-billion deficit in general revenue for 2021-22 fiscal year.
Online Sales Tax Potential Revenue: $480 million-$1 billion
The Florida Retail Federation and its allies have tried for years to pass legislation that would require online vendors without brick-and-mortar stores in Florida to collect and remit sales tax to the state. Some Republicans have balked at the idea in the past, for fear they could be seen as increasing taxes, but a $2.75-billion budget gap may make the idea more palatable. The state’s Revenue Estimating Conference says collecting those taxes would
(The Center Square) â Floridaâs projected 2.9% job growth rate, near 5% boost in real gross state product (RGSP) and a ârobustâ housing market offer âplenty of reasons to be cautiously optimisticâ about the stateâs 2021 economic outlook, according to public-spending watchdog Florida TaxWatch.
The Tallahassee-based research nonprofit, however, cautions that forecasts released Wednesday in its
The report, largely gleaned from the University of Central Florida Institute for Economic Competitivenessâ
State Economic Forecast, projects Floridians personal income will decline by 3.2% and retail spending by nearly $40 billion â or 6.6% â in 2021.
âOverall, Floridaâs economy in 2021 will be uncertain, influenced largely by pandemic changes, but there is reason to believe next year will be a hopeful year of growth for a state on the road to economic recovery,â Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro said.
Pandemic uncertainty shades ‘cautiously optimistic 2021 outlook in Florida by John Haughey, The Center Square | December 31, 2020 02:00 PM Print this article
Florida’s projected 2.9% job growth rate, near 5% boost in real gross state product (RGSP) and a “robust” housing market offer “plenty of reasons to be cautiously optimistic” about the state’s 2021 economic outlook, according to public-spending watchdog Florida TaxWatch.
The Tallahassee-based research nonprofit, however, cautions that forecasts released Wednesday in its
The report, largely gleaned from the University of Central Florida Institute for Economic Competitiveness’
State Economic Forecast, projects Floridians personal income will decline by 3.2% and retail spending by nearly $40 billion – or 6.6% – in 2021.