Lawmakers moved closer to approving a tax plan that would double the corporate income tax exemption, from $25,000 to $50,000, meaning 3,770 companies would be exempt from paying any income taxes.
Posted on Tuesday, 02.14.12
The Miami Herald
2012 FLORIDA LEGISLATURE
By Toluse Olorunnipa
TALLAHASSEE -- After a partisan spectacle of procedural gamesmanship, House lawmakers moved closer to passing a massive package of business tax cuts.
The two-hour debate over the tax cuts was bitter at times, bouncing around to many of the hot-button political issues of the day — organized labor, contraception, Cuba, domestic partnerships, immigration and inequality. During the lengthy bout of political posturing, both Republicans and Democrats used procedural maneuvers to steer the debate towards politically divisive issues.
The tax plan, a priority of Gov. Rick Scott, would double the corporate income tax exemption, from $25,000 to $50,000, meaning 3,770 companies would be exempt from paying any income taxes.
Scott has said he would like to completely phase out the state’s corporate income tax, in order to make Florida more business-friendly. Companies paid nearly $2 billion in state income tax last year, about 8 percent of all revenue collected by Florida.
Several other parts of the tax package would cut costs for thousands of businesses and reduce revenue in the state. The measures would slash taxes on oil drilled in Florida (by $3.3 million), manufacturing equipment ($56.4 million), private plane repair ($12.3 million) and electricity at produce packing houses ($1.1 million).
Taken together, the cuts mean about $108 million in less revenue annually for the state, and about $13.2 million less for local governments.
The debate — which degenerated into a parliamentary scene of procedural maneuvers, highlighted the tension between Democrats and the Republicans, who hold a significant majority.
Democrats in the House used the opportunity to pepper high-ranking Republicans with a flurry of questions on a wide-range of political issues.
Democrats offered 15 amendments to the corporate tax cut, attempting to deny the benefit to companies that ship jobs offshore, deny health insurance for domestic partners, deny coverage for contraceptives, work with countries that sponsor terrorism, or discriminate against veterans.
In an attempt to call the Republicans’ bluff on immigration, Rep. Scott Randolph, D-Orlando, offered an amendment that would provide the corporate tax cut only to companies that used an E-Verify system to prevent the hiring of undocumented immigrants. Several Republicans, including Gov. Rick Scott, campaigned on the issue, but have generally avoided the politically-dangerous topic this year.
Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, countered each of the amendments with an amendment of his own, stating that companies that hire unionized labor would not be eligible for a tax cut.
Each time, state Representatives voted to change the Democrat-led amendments into the anti-union amendment, effectively blocking a vote on the Democrat’s issues.
“There’s nothing in the rules that says that I can’t do this,” Lopez-Cantera told protesting Democrats. “I’m just doing what the rules afford me the right to do in this Chamber.”
The tax package faces a full vote in the House on Wednesday. The House also moved forward on other tax measures, including this year’s back-to-school sales tax holiday and a property tax exemption for surviving spouses of veterans and first responders killed in the line of duty.
charleo1
Corporations don't want to pay a living wage. Done.
They don't want to provide retirement. Done.
They don't want to provide healthcare benefits. Done.
They want publicly financed debt. Done.
They want subsidies to off set business expense. Done
They want public school money. Done.
They want regulations removed holding them responsible for faulty products, dishonest financial
deals, and pollution clean ups. Done.
They want to pay no taxes on profits from all of the above.
And, they won't to do business in a state where they couldn't use taxpayer money to buy every
politician in it.
A Like Reply Yesterday 08:19 PM
KLC557
Collapse Expand It's about time to vote out all Republicans, they are only for big business and themselves. You Christians better wake-up and see they are devils in sheep's clothing. Remember the Republicans are the ones that opened up free trading that allowed Corporations to out source our jobs to other countries and not pay Taxes. If a Company wants to do business here in the states they need to pay taxes period. Then we come to the Presidential Candidates if they don't keep their money in the States and pay taxes on it they shouldn't be allowed to run. It's illegal for us as tax payers to do it so why do they get to. It shows how much they love their Country, if they are keeping their money elsewhere. Sounds to me they are UN-American and shouldn't be so GREEDY.
A Like Reply
The American people, namely ' the increasing fathomless numbers of THE TEA PARTY" must unseat all radical Politicians, Governors, mayors, judges police chiefs and every elected official, city manager and councilman who are anti-sovereignty and pamper illegal aliens with taxpayer dollars. Their oaths of allegiance are meaningless to them as they have shown by their pro-illegal immigration agenda's. Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles county mayor, the way he demonizes pro-sovereignty, anti-illegal alien activists should be one of the first to be recalled, as he answers to a government south of our border? Both political parties have been complicit in the flood of illegal migrants and immigrants that is estimated to be well over 20 million, not the numbers calculated by the US census bureau? Our only chance of stopping this scattering pestilence is to support the business mandatory E-Verify program and the Birthright citizenship Act that must be introduced in Congress right now.
ReplyDeleteFrank Sharry, Founder and Director of pro-amnesty group America's Voice and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) went was caught up in a verbal confrontation in The Huffington Post. Sharry calls Chairman Smith's mandatory E-verify bill "anti-immigrant legislation" and "unworkable and expensive bureaucracy." Sharry claims the bill would "grant the federal government the authority to approve or disapprove every new hire in America." That is how it should be, and rejection from being hired. A relatively simple solution that guarantees foreigners begin Mitt Romney’s ‘self-deportation’ antidote, better known as Attrition through Enforcement. Of Course Sharry doesn't individualize between a legal immigrant and illegal immigrant as it should be acknowledged or the Liberal media.
Rep. Smith defended E-Verify by saying the web-based program "quickly identifies illegal workers and protects jobs for citizens by checking Social Security numbers and ID of newly hired employees" and describes E-Verify as "free, quick and easy to use."
Rep. Smith cites a Rasmussen poll which found that 82% of likely voters think all businesses should be required to use E-Verify. Sharry, this open border individual and is now so frustrated and angry that millions of businesses have chosen to use E-Verify--both voluntary and state mandatory, that this far left progressive is reduced to name calling.
Sen. Lamar Smith’s E-Verify, “The Legal Workforce Act” is just tipping the scales and only needs a little more momentum from American voters to get this bill into Congress. The potential law has 74 co-sponsors and needs a final push of only 26 more lawmakers with a backbone; four of the co-sponsors are Democrats.
Join the TEA PARTY, as the refugees from every other delusional political voter and vote a Tea Party senate and house into office, displacing all those politicians and elected officers who protect illegal migrants and immigrants and betrayed the lawful U.S. Populace. These old party agenda is profit, votes and exploitation, and are in collusion with churches, unions, foreign governments and radical organizations and special interest groups. Illegal immigration has been forced on taxpayers through ‘UNFUNDED MANDATES’. These acts include free health care, free schooling, and has attributed to the loss of safety-net for Americans; coerced on citizens and lawful residents by liberal influenced courts.
Frosty Wooldridge said in his latest article:
ReplyDeleteEvery indicator that our country is failing shows up daily with 15 million unemployed, 7 million underemployed, 46 million Americans subsisting on food stamps, $700 billion annual trade deficit, $15 trillion national debt, endless wars that cost $15 billion monthly and thousands of kids dropping out of high school daily. I have said it before: illiteracy defines a third world country. With 42 million functionally illiterate Americans, we are well on our way. Nonetheless, Congress pumps over 125,000 immigrants into this country every 30 days. I am beyond exasperated as to why and how we can do this to our country.
Learn more at NumbersUSA, how the government is defying the U. S. Constitution and the laws that govern us. Investigate even more the terrible penalty our nation pays, for unending spending on foreign nationals by Googling—“AMERICAN PATROL.” Seek out your politician either by phone at 202-224-3121, or go their office in person. Proclaim to them they are–OUT–if they vote for any kind of AMNESTY, disguised as Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Remember--this is not about any racial make-up, nationality or color, its strictly about illegal immigration, that America cannot afford any more. Even if your from Europe, the Pacific rim, Africa, Canada or any South American country; if you illegal, they should be detained and deported.
When the States of Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Utah, Indiana and South Carolina is being financially crippled by the illegal alien invaders, it is undeniable that something smells of government corruption. These states have spoken out on behalf of their taxpayers, especially the border state of Arizona. Using fake ID, of exceptionally good quality unlawful nationals are able to qualify for food stamps, WICC and other public assistance programs. It is way past time that many incompetent administrations stopped this fraud? The only possible way is to issue every eligible US citizen and others able to qualify a National ID card, which can be substantiated?
Our Social Security numbers and other documentation has been compromised, as seen in the overwhelming amount of victims that is unceasing spreading across our nation.
Important: Voter fraud does exist and our only chance of fair and impartial elections, from now until the November Presidential is every citizen show official Identification. Non citizens have been registered to vote and will again in all electoral cycles, which could cause major issues in a close vote. Fake ID has been around for years, but is more prevalent now than ever before?