Loading
The Business Rent Tax Coalition, a lobbying effort to eliminate the state's commercial lease tax, has personalized its strategy.
The organization did that through a $1,000 relief fund — designed to highlight what it says small business owners could use the tax savings for if the 6% excise were slashed. One of two entrepreneurs to receive the funds is Javier Santana, owner of Waterside Cafe in Tampa.
“If the business rent tax were reduced, I could afford to replace aging equipment in my cafe's kitchen,” Santana says in a statement. “Instead, I send thousands in business rent tax dollars to Tallahassee. I plan on using the relief fund award to buy a new refrigerator for Waterside Cafe, which recently broke down, costing my business over $500 in lost inventory and even more in potential sales.”
The coalition endorses a plan to cut the tax, imposed on every rent contract for offices, retail stores, warehouses and other property, by 1% a year, starting this year, until it's phased out. Business owners would save $339 million in the first two years of the plan if it succeeds, say coalition officials. The groups that support the tax rollback also often point out that Florida is the only state with a levy like this, leading to a competitive disadvantage.
The other business owner to receive the $1,000 relief fund is Dan Dvorak, who owns an auto supply store in Cocoa.
“Some Florida lawmakers perceive a 1% reduction in the business rent tax to be small savings,” says Greg Blose, director of outreach for the coalition, in the statement. “Although the dollar amount may not be high, the potential savings add up for Florida's small business owners.”
Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning business news.
Join thousands of executives who rely on us for insights spanning Tampa Bay to Naples.
