Drew Dixon
Florida TaxWatch officials say Monday is “Florida Taxpayer Independence Day,” representing how much Sunshine State residents really pay in taxes and how long they would have to pay to be totally tax free.
The organization says if the average Florida taxpayer used all their income this year to pay their annual tax bill, it took until Monday, April 21, to fully pay their share. That accounts for local, state and federal taxes.
“Based on the relative size of all taxes paid in Florida to the state’s total personal income, it took taxpayers an average of 110 days to pay their taxes this year, which fell on the same day in 2024,” a TaxWatch news release said.
Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro said the symbolic study shows the average Floridian is paying far too much in taxes.
“While Floridians, on average, saw their income grow enough to meet the tax bills, rising prices and insurance premiums have squeezed paychecks, and many are finding it more difficult to pay taxes,” Calabro said.
“April 21 may be the symbolic day Floridians have earned enough for their tax obligations, but paying taxes is a year-round effort, with local governments receiving property tax payments in the fall, federal taxes taken out of every paycheck, and the collection of state sales tax can be an everyday affair.”
TaxWatch officials say they’re optimistic the Legislature will implement state tax cuts this year. But it’s not clear what impact that will have.
The Senate is considering a proposal that would implement a $900 million sales tax exemption for clothes and shoes. And the House is considering a similar measure that would reduce state sales taxes from 6% to 5.25%. Property taxes are also on the table, as Gov. Ron DeSantis has advocated reducing those taxes with a rebate.
Florida TaxWatch Executive Vice President and General Counsel Jeff Kottkamp said the watchdog group is holding lawmakers’ feet to the fire.
“In observing Florida Taxpayer Independence Day, the actions of the 2025 Legislature may also have a big impact on when future Taxpayer Independence Days arrive, with the current conversation in reducing property taxes, and the possibility of even eliminating or replacing it,” Kottkamp said.
“While this action would require a constitutional amendment, Florida TaxWatch welcomes the conversation and is thankful for the prudent decision making and sound fiscal policies enacted by our state’s leaders.”
One comment
Michael K
April 21, 2025 at 2:26 pm
The stock market is at an all time low today with full responsibility to the not so stable “genius” Trump and his idiotic and ill-informed assault on the global economy and attacks on the independence of the Fed.
Billionaires don’t care, but for people like me, losing more than 10% of life savings because of one man’s hubris sucks. No one else to blame but Trump.