GOV. SCOTT: I WILL FIGHT TO PREVENT UNFAIR TAX INCREASES IN THE FUTURE

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LAKE MARY, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott announced he will propose an amendment to Florida’s Constitution during the upcoming legislative session to require a supermajority vote by future Florida legislatures to raise any taxes or fees. Currently, it only takes a simple majority in the state legislature to raise taxes or fees. If passed, it would be up for consideration by Florida voters on the 2018 ballot. The Governor will also work with members of the Constitutional Revision Commission as they begin crafting proposals to amend the Florida Constitution. More details of the Governor’s proposal will be made available in the coming weeks.

Governor Scott said, “I am announcing today that I will fight during the upcoming legislative session to give voters the opportunity to amend the Florida Constitution to require a supermajority vote by future state legislatures to raise any taxes or fees. I am proud that by working with the Florida Legislature, we have cut more than $7 billion in taxes and I look forward to cutting even more taxes next year. While cutting taxes is important, we must prevent against unfair tax increases in the future so our progress is not undone. It is my goal to make it harder for politicians to raise taxes on Florida families and businesses – and that can be achieved with an amendment to our state’s constitution.

“The four years before I became Governor, we had lost over 800,000 jobs, taxes were increased by more than $2 billion and our economy was in shambles. We had to turn Florida’s economy around and grow jobs for Florida families, and that started with cutting taxes. Today, after cutting more than 75 taxes in the last six years, nearly 1.4 million new jobs have been added in our state and our unemployment rate has dropped to a ten-year low.

“I have run both small and large businesses, and I know the impact a tax or fee increase can have on a business owner. I have had to worry about making payroll, and any tax increase by politicians could mean job layoffs or closures. Because this issue is so important to ensuring future economic growth in our state, I will use every tool available to ensure Florida voters have the chance to consider this proposal. That is why I will also be working with the members of the Florida Constitutional Revision Commission to put this game changing proposal on the ballot.”

Since 2010, Governor Scott has championed more than 75 tax cuts, totally over $7 billion. This includes:

  • Cutting the fees for annual vehicle registrations in 2014, saving Florida motorists $400 million every year;
  • Cutting the tax on cell phone and cable bills in 2015, saving Floridians more than $226 million every year;
  • Permanently eliminating the sales tax on manufacturing machinery and equipment in 2016, saving Florida job creators more than $73 million every year;
  • Cutting the tax on commercial leases this year, saving Florida job creators more than $60 million every year; and
  • Eliminating the business tax for 75 percent of businesses over the past few years, saving Florida job creators more than $50 million every year.

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