Florida Could Require a Supermajority Vote to Raise Taxes and Fees
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What the Referendum Does
Florida Amendment 5 would amend the state constitution to require a two-thirds (supermajority) vote of the Florida State Legislature to enact new taxes or fees, or increase existing ones. That would require the control of 27 seats in the state Senate and 80 seats in the state House. Currently, the state legislature can enact new taxes or fees or increase existing ones, with the exception of the corporate income tax, with a simple majority vote in each chamber.
In Favor
Making it more difficult to raise taxes will keep the state legislature accountable to Floridians, forcing it to keep spending under control and minimizing government’s cost to Florida residents.
Opposed
The state legislature needs the power to raise taxes to fund state spending on health and public services and a supermajority requirement to raise taxes and fees will make that too difficult.
In-Depth
Gov. Rick Scott (R), who proposed this amendment to the state legislature in his last State of the State address in January 2018, is one of the leading supporters of Amendment 5. Florida TaxWatch, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and the Libertarian Party of Florida are among the leading organizations supporting this amendment. House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R-37), who helped this amendment pass the legislature, says, “We should always make it much more difficult to raise taxes than it is to cut them. This amendment will secure and protect that legacy from future legislatures bent on raising taxes."
The League of Women Voters of Florida (LWVFL), Florida Policy Institute, Florida Education Association, and the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida oppose Amendment 5. The League of Women Voters calls this amendment an abrogation of the state legislature’s responsibility to pass a reasonable budget:
“This amendment does not include a provision that would allow for tax increases in times of emergencies (hurricane, floods, recession, etc.) and is an abrogation of the Legislature’s fiduciary responsibility to pass a reasonable budget.”
Amendment 5 was referred to Florida voters by the state legislature with votes of 80-29 in the House and 25-13 in the Senate, with most of the opposition coming from Democrats.
Summary by Lorelei Yang
(Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com / tzahiV)
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