© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

GOP Senator: Drop Insurance Subsidy And Cut Cell Phone Taxes

Senate President Pro Tempore Anitere Flores
Anitere Flores via Facebook
/
https://www.facebook.com/anitere/?ref=page_internal

Senate President Pro Tem Anitere Flores is proposing a tax cut on Floridians’ cable and cell phone bills.  But to pay for it, the Miami Republican’s plan would eliminate a tax break for the insurance industry.

Since the late 1980s, insurance companies in Florida have been able to deduct 15 percent of employee’s salaries from their annual corporate tax bill.  The incentive is meant to encourage an industry that hasn’t always blossomed in the sunshine state.  But Flores says times have changed.

“My ultimate goal is to say what can we do to help everyday Floridians every day in their pocket book,” Flores says.  “And that’s why the CST is something that came across as very viable—you know you get a cell phone bill every single month.”

Flores’ proposal would use the savings from eliminating the insurance subsidy to fund a two percent reduction in the communications services tax, or CST.  In recent years, Republicans have focused on the tax—levied on services like cable and cell phones—as a way to make broad based cuts.

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.