Here we go again: The Florida Legislature’s annual exercise in avoiding necessary revisions in the state’s antiquated, revenue-raising formula. Once again, no one in Tallahassee wants to talk about taxing services, eliminating unjustified sales-tax exemptions or getting serious about taxing Internet retailers.
In fact, if the House had its way, it would help balance the budget by redirecting more than $460 million from the state’s transportation trust fund. Now it’s compromised to a proposed raid of less than $200 million. That could still mean project delays for a state that is already transportation-challenged. And it would still mean undermining one of the better job-generating catalysts at our disposal.
The bottom line: (mega-growth era) business as usual during times that are anything but.