# Should Florida have a state income tax? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 4, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-florida-have-a-state-income-tax/425209 "2007-11-04T18:33:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2008, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-florida-have-a-state-income-tax/425209/81 "2008-01-26T01:37:18Z")
I’m voting yes. I find it funny many county governments are spending taxpayer dollars to get people to vote no, saying it will hurt schools, police, fire, etc. I say hogwash. There’s enough pork that can be cut to still provide basic services. And with the Church Street scandal [about to blow up](http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2008/01/what-happened-t.html) in Mayor Buddy Dyer’s face…that’s $20 million right there. **Brain** , I didn’t want to hijack this into a debate about the FairTax. That’s why I didn’t expand on my comment. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-florida-have-a-state-income-tax/425209/82 "2008-01-26T01:45:39Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] There’s enough pork that can be cut to still provide basic services. [/quote] What are you basing that on? [QUOTE=ivylass] And with the Church Street scandal [about to blow up](http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2008/01/what-happened-t.html) in Mayor Buddy Dyer’s face…that’s $20 million right there. [/quote] Unless Kuhn has already spent the money. You really think the city will ever get it back? [QUOTE=ivylass] **Brain** , I didn’t want to hijack this into a debate about the FairTax. That’s why I didn’t expand on my comment. [/QUOTE] Well, let’s keep it within Florida, then. Why is a sales tax a better way to raise state revenue than an income tax? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2008, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-florida-have-a-state-income-tax/425209/83 "2008-01-26T03:31:23Z")
[QUOTE=Carol Stream] Because they’re good to have? That’s your argument? I want a pony. [/QUOTE] Fine. Talk to your congressman. If they pass a law giving ponies to everyone, you will get one also. Welcome to America. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2008, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-florida-have-a-state-income-tax/425209/84 "2008-01-26T14:11:27Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Unless Kuhn has already spent the money. You really think the city will ever get it back? [/quote] No, they won’t get the money back. What I’m saying is that they’ve thrown away $20 million dollars. > [@](#): > > Well, let’s keep it within Florida, then. Why is a sales tax a better way to raise state revenue than an income tax? Because it taxes everyone, regardless of income. Tourists, illegal immigrants, everybody who buys something pays the tax. People with more money spend more, and they will pay more tax. There are no loopholes with sales tax…just exemptions, such as food and medicine. No forms to fill out. No trying to keep track of receipts. No trying to meet deadlines for filing. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-florida-have-a-state-income-tax/425209/85 "2008-01-27T01:55:59Z")
[QUOTE=MacTech] I live in Maine (5% sales tax) and shop in NH (no sales tax), luckilly, NH is less than a 5 minute drive from home the State of Maine knows this, and in fact, has a section on their tax forms that lets you pay a small flat-rate fee to cover your NH purchases, otherwise they threaten to audit you for any and all out-of-state purchases that “should have been taxable” had they been purchased in Maine pure protectionisim, plain and simple, no different than a store paying “protection money” to the Mob it sucks, if Maine doesn’t want to lose sales to other states, then do the right thing and drop the frakking sales tax so, I vote _no_ on sales tax, wherever it may be, sales tax Baaaaad!! [/QUOTE] How in God’s name could you possibly owe the state of Maine hard dick OR bubblegum for a purchase that you made in New Hampshire while in New Hampshire? Does Maine’s authority now extend beyond it’s own borders? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-florida-have-a-state-income-tax/425209/86 "2008-01-27T02:06:32Z")
[QUOTE=jtgain] How in God’s name could you possibly owe the state of Maine hard dick OR bubblegum for a purchase that you made in New Hampshire while in New Hampshire? Does Maine’s authority now extend beyond it’s own borders? [/QUOTE] You mean you have not been paying the [Use Tax levied by the State of Florida](http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/taxes/sales_tax.html) on purchases you make out of state, but bring back to Florida? > [@](#): > > Use tax complements and is applied in the same manner as sales tax. The use tax rate and sales tax rate are the same, including discretionary sales surtax, if applicable. Use tax is due on purchases made out of state and brought into Florida within 6 months of the purchase date. Also, if you purchase a product tax-exempt that you plan to sell at retail, but end up using it at your place of business, the “use” of the product is subject to tax. If you purchase materials that are “consumed” in a manufacturing process to create your end product but are not part of the end product, those materials are subject to tax. > > The “use” component of the sales and use tax provides uniform taxation on items that are purchased outside Florida but are used or stored in the state. If the item brought into Florida is subject to tax, a credit for lawfully imposed taxes paid to another state, a U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia is permitted. Credit is not given for taxes paid to another country. Oh man, that’s gonna leave a mark when they catch you. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-florida-have-a-state-income-tax/425209/87 "2008-01-27T03:32:34Z")
I think Florida should have an income tax to pay for hurricane damage. The way it is now the national tax payers pick up the costs. It is not like hurricanes are a surprise. They should build a fund and take care of the emergency services themselves. To not have an income tax and then expect other states to bail them out is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-florida-have-a-state-income-tax/425209/88 "2008-01-27T03:41:39Z")
I think Florida should have an income tax to pay for hurricane damage. The way it is now the national tax payers pick up the costs. It is not like hurricanes are a surprise. They should build a fund and take care of the emergency services themselves. To not have an income tax and then expect other states to bail them out is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-florida-have-a-state-income-tax/425209/89 "2008-01-27T19:44:05Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] Because it taxes everyone, regardless of income. Tourists, illegal immigrants, everybody who buys something pays the tax. People with more money spend more, and they will pay more tax. There are no loopholes with sales tax…just exemptions, such as food and medicine. [/quote] Right. The guy who buys a shirt at CostCo pays the state 6% of the price. The guy who buys a BMW or a cabin cruiser pays the state 6% of the price. Have you forgotten why progressively graduated income tax was invented? [QUOTE=ivylass] No forms to fill out. No trying to keep track of receipts. No trying to meet deadlines for filing. [/QUOTE] Not for the end purchaser, no. But every **vendor** in the state would beg to differ. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-florida-have-a-state-income-tax/425209/90 "2008-01-30T15:54:37Z")
[Amendment One passed 64 to 36.](http://www.miamiherald.com/548/story/399006.html) _sigh_ Now what? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-florida-have-a-state-income-tax/425209.md?page=4)