SARASOTA- In Governor Rick Scott’s last state of the state address he called for a constitutional amendment requiring a 2/3 majority vote to increase taxes, the legislature put that on this year’s ballots, and if Amendment 5 passes, raising taxes in Florida will be incredibly difficult.
“I try not to be facetious,” Alcock said. “But I would call this the fiscal straightjacket amendment.”
Political Science Professor Frank Alcock says this would make legislation that would raise or create taxes and fees almost impossible to pass.
“This would require that any taxes or fees get a 2/3 majority vote in both the Florida Senate and the Florida House, on top of that it would require that any tax or fee increase be pulled out of any legislation and be voted on as a stand-alone issue.”
Some of the taxes and fees set by the legislature include park fees, gun permits, driver’s licenses, and sales taxes. This could hurt the legislature’s ability to respond to budget needs, but there is precedent for the amendment.
“15 other states have something like it,” Alcock said. “Half of them have a 60% majority, the other 7 have a 2/3 majority, so Florida would not be the only state, but again it would make it extremely difficult to raise taxes or fees.”
The amendment does not apply to fees or taxes imposed by a county, city, school board, or special district. It also would not allow the legislature to create a tax or fee otherwise prohibited by the constitution.
If you want to take a look at your ballot you can get a sample ballot online: