We have some great news out of Florida! The House and Senate passed a tax cut package yesterday which includes a $100 million annual Communications Service Tax (CST) reduction on wireless services. The total tax savings in the package amounts to $430 million for Florida taxpayers. The bill was signed into law this morning and the wireless tax cuts will take effect on July 1st.
Originally, Governor Rick Scott’s proposal seeking to reduce the state’s CST by $470 million annually was considered by the Florida Legislature. The House passed a version of the plan, but the Senate was unable to vote on the companion bill before the legislative session abruptly ended. Lawmakers returned on June 1st for a 20-day special session to finalize a budget for the coming year and address the tax cuts proposal.
While the approved 1.73 percentage point CST cut doesn’t go as far as Governor Scott’s original call for a 3.6 percentage point reduction, it a great first step in the right direction that will save Floridians nearly $20 a year on every $100 spent on monthly service plans.
These wireless tax cuts are much-needed for Florida’s wireless consumers who currently pay over 22 percent in federal, state and local taxes on their monthly wireless bills. Florida has the 4th highest wireless tax rate in the country, a rate that is three times higher than the general sales tax of other goods and services in the state.
We applaud Governor Rick Scott, Representative Matt Gaetz and Senator Dorothy Hukill for their hard work and leadership on this effort to make wireless more affordable for wireless consumers. Thank you!
Please help spread the word: