By Regan McCarthy
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-997293.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – The Florida Chamber of Commerce is joining other business leaders to ask the government to stop what the chamber says is a coming 817-million-dollar tax increase. Regan McCarthy reports business leaders worry about the bump could hurt businesses and the economy.
Florida Chamber of Commerce Spokeswoman Teye Reeves says the expected unemployment tax increase is one of the largest increases the state has seen in years, but she says the legislature could lessen the blow by either extending the time for the state to pay back money it owes the federal government for propping up the state's unemployment fund or changing the amount of wages subject to the tax. Now the Chamber and other members of the business community are asking Governor Rick Scott for his help to do just that. The Governor's Spokesman Lane Wright says the governor is evaluating the proposal.
"But last year we passed major unemployment compensation reform and it made a number of improvements aimed at reducing the cost of unemployment insurance."
Wright says the private sector continues to benefit from those changes which resulted in savings estimated at 125-million dollars in the current year and 108-million dollars in the upcoming year.