‘Sustainable for the long term’: Ben Albritton defends Senate’s commitment to ‘meaningful tax relief’

Just minutes after House Speaker Daniel Perez sent a memo to House members declaring budget negotiations have “blown up,” Senate President Ben Albritton sent his own memo to Senate members defending the upper chamber’s stance.

The House has proposed — and so far, has been unmoved from — a tax relief proposal that would cut one-quarter of a percentage point from the state sales tax.

Albritton had been working with the House to reach a compromise on tax relief, including suggesting an alternative sales tax relief proposal that would eliminate sales tax on clothing and shoes up to $75. But on Friday, he pointed to Gov. Ron DeSantis and his red veto pen as a reason for the ongoing impasse, amid other Senate concerns about the House’s proposal.

“As I am sure you are aware, earlier this week Governor DeSantis expressed concern regarding the tax relief framework announced last Friday. Specifically, that the proposal for an across-the-board sales tax cut would unduly benefit tourists and foreigners and is, ‘dead on arrival,’ Albritton wrote.

“From speaking with Senators, I know many of you share concerns with both the number and the policy of that framework and instead favor targeted tax relief that benefits growing families and seniors aging with dignity.”

Albritton listed three major concerns he’s heard from members.

First, Senators worry “an across-the-board sales tax cut of one quarter of one penny is not meaningful, felt, or seen by families and seniors when compared with other available options.”

To put that into perspective, under the state’s current 6% sales tax, consumers would pay $6 in taxes for every $100 spent. With the House proposed quarter of a percentage point cut, they would instead pay $5.75 in sales tax, a savings of just $0.25 per $100 spent.

Further, an estimated $2.5 billion recurring tax cut “is not sustainable when combined with the projected budget shortfalls already on the horizon,” Albritton wrote of his members’ concerns. He added that the recurring tax cut may also “constrain options for the major property tax reform” that the Governor, both chambers of the Legislature and, “most importantly,” Albritton wrote, Floridians “are asking us to put forward.”

“Throughout the entire course of negotiations with the House, the Senate has been and remains committed to tax cuts that offer broad-based and meaningful tax relief for families, seniors, and small businesses,” Albritton added.

“As negotiations move forward, Chair (Ed) Hooper and I will continue seeking your advice and feedback. It is important to me that we develop a tax relief package that is sustainable for the long term and leaves room in our balanced budget for the voters to consider meaningful property tax relief on the ballot at the next general election.”

Albritton closed with a pledge to continue working toward a final budget and tax relief package all players can support.

The Senate also appears to be disagreeing with a scheduled House vote Tuesday to extend the Session through the end of June, according to Forrest Saunders of E.W. Scripps.

“No, the Senate will not be considering an extension resolution next week,” Senate staff reportedly told Saunders.

“The President does not feel it is necessary to go to the expense of having the Senators travel to Tallahassee for a procedural motion. If a further extension becomes necessary and the Senators choose to pursue that avenue, it can be done at a later date when they are here already for the budget conference.”

Albritton’s tone in the letter was notably less inflammatory than his counterpart in the House. Perez pointedly blamed Albritton for the budget impasse, writing in his memo that Albritton was “breaking his commitment to the House” regarding bringing the House tax proposal to the Senate floor for a vote.

Meanwhile, DeSantis seems to be on the Senate’s side in this particular quarrel.

“You have the biggest majorities in the Florida House we’ve ever had for Republicans, and yet the agenda has really been, they’ve been more interested in throwing a lifeline to the Left and attacking me than they have been in doing the work that you sent them there to do,” DeSantis said Friday after Perez’s “blow up” announcement.

That echoed remarks he made just before the Regular Session ended, before lawmakers voted to extend it.

“I think the House’s position has been, ‘Well, you know, the Governor has gotten everything he wants, so whatever he’s for, we’re against.’ And that’s why they’ve been running themselves ragged with this really dysfunctional and unsuccessful House of Representatives this Legislative Session,” DeSantis said at the time.