December 6, 2015 | Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida is a low-tax state, having been ranked 48th in per capita state tax collections.
Gov. Rick Scott told the Legislature last week that he wants the state to go even lower.
Scott made an unusual appearance before the House Finance and Tax Committee to promote his proposal for more than $1 billion in tax cuts, all but $119 million of which are aimed at businesses.
House leaders weren’t exactly skeptical — Matt Gaetz, the committee chairman, said making the cuts would constitute “a heavy lift” — at least they didn’t roll over, and the Senate is more likely to be leery of such steep reductions in revenue.
But it was troubling that Gaetz indicated he believes that the Legislature’s only choice is between cutting taxes and enabling his colleagues to waste money. “I would rather put that money back in the pockets of Floridians than having legislators find creative ways to spend a billion dollars,” he said.
That’s a false choice. Legislators would not need an ounce of creativity to responsibly spend the lion’s share of that revenue.
For instance, the Legislature could easily reduce the number of elderly, low-income Floridians — some 34,000 — on a waiting list to receive in-home health care. For every $2 million allocated, the state could fund services for 331 seniors, according to the Florida Council on Aging.
Or, for every $1.7 million, the state could fund an Alzheimer’s Respite Care program for 145 Floridians who need a break from providing around-the-clock care to a loved one. There are 3,811 Floridians on the waiting list for that help.
The Legislature could also allocate funds for hiring more staff at some of the state’s beleaguered mental-health hospitals. In a joint project, the Herald-Tribune and Tampa Bay Times identified patient-care shortcomings and staff safety problems that could be mitigated by hiring qualified employees. (We recognize, however, that the sweeping and effective reforms necessary will be a complex endeavor.)
The Legislature could fulfill its constitutional duty to adequately fund public education: Only six states spend less than Florida per student, even though local taxpayers shoulder more than 50 percent of the burden for public schools.
The Legislature could continue to appropriate tax dollars for legal aid organizations that serve low-income Floridians facing civil actions (the governor has inexplicably vetoed such funding). Florida is one of the few states that don’t contribute to legal aid groups who provide services that help people keep their homes and avoid severe financial troubles; the pro-business group Florida TaxWatch believes legal-aid funding is good for local economies.
The state could increase its miserly reimbursement rates for health-care providers who treat children and families relying on Medicaid, the state-federal insurance program for low-income Floridians, providing an incentive for doctors, dentists and others to accept more patients.
Florida could responsibly spend more money on mental-health and substance-abuse treatment. Increased funding for the general population, prison inmates and homeless children and adults could easily be justified. The same could be said for programs that help inmates released from prison avoid recidivism.
Added investments in the construction and repair of highways, roads and bridges would be warranted to improve transportation and promote commerce.
Additional funding for crime-lab testing would help law enforcement agencies solve cases more quickly, improve public safety and expedite justice.
Environmental protection programs, which sustained substantial budget cuts during and after the recession, could be restored.
Legislators could boost affordable-housing trust funds, simply by using the documentary tax revenue for its intended purpose, rather than diverting the money to other uses.
Any of these investments, which would make Florida a better state, could be made — without heavy lifting.
Article last accessed here on December 7, 2015.
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