[Miami, FL] The junior U.S. Senator from Florida – Marco Rubio – is playing hardball this week against President Obama, who visited the Sunshine State for some good old-fashioned campaign fundraising as well as some official appearances.

On Tuesday, President Obama gave some back at a speech at Florida Atlantic University in which he made his pitch for multi-millionaires and billionaires to pay more in taxes.

“It’s time for us to choose which direction we want to go in as a country,” said Obama. “Do we want to keep giving those tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans like me, or Warren Buffett – he definitely doesn’t need them, or Bill Gates?”

During an interview with CBS 4 Miami, Rubio challenged the President over his push to instate the so-called “Buffett Rule,” which is a popularized catch phrase for Obama’s push for tax policy change aimed at raising the rate on the wealthiest Americans.

Rubio, obviously, doesn’t agree with President Obama’s idea that the wealthier pay more taxes.

“They do pay more — and that’s one of the fundamental misleading things the President is saying,” said Rubio. “Somehow the perception is being created that if your paycheck is a million a year you pay less in taxes. That is not true. What the President is talking about when he talks about the ‘Buffett Rule’ is investment income.”

“We have always wanted Warren Buffett to, instead of putting that money in a coffee can, to take his money and invest it because that created jobs,” said Rubio.

Rubio and his Republican cohorts are dead set against raising rates for the richest Americans, claiming that if the have more money to spend they will create more jobs or “trickle down,” to use a classic GOP phrase. The problem is, as Obama points out, that we tried that way and it didn’t work.

Obama said Republicans are “doubling down on a lot of these broken down theories” that proved to not work under George W. Bush.

An eye-opening study from the Congressional Budget Office shows the wealth gap widening, employee salaries stagnated and income concentrated more and more by those who already have obtained riches. The lowest earners in this country saw their incomes raise by 20% over 30 years.

Sounds good? How about this: The top 1% saw their incomes go through the roof at a staggering rate of 275% over that same three-decade period. It is that kind of hard data that is driving the debate around the water cooler and dinner table and why polls show support for Obama’s position.

And Rubio knows this.

“I understand the polls. I can read a poll just like Barack Obama can,” said Rubio, sounding a bit huffy. Right? That sounded huffy.

“I understand that people look at it and say, ‘Yeah, how come Warren Buffett pays less than his secretary?’. What they need to understand is the reason why he may pay less than his secretary in terms of the rate is that she makes her money on a paycheck and he makes his money on investments,” offered Rubio.

Problem is, we are now competing with countries like Rwanda, Ecuador, Cameroon and Uganda when it comes to the wealth gap, and President Obama is seizing upon that realization in appealing to a population that feels that it has been trickled on enough.

“Here in America we look out for one another. Here in America we help each other get ahead. Here in America we have a sense of common purpose. Here in America we can meet any challenge. Here in America we can seize any moment. We can make this century another great American century,” said Obama, sounding a little bit like candidate-in-chief.

Don’t expect this issue to go away anytime soon as the President will continue to drive this populist message until Republicans are forced to vote on the matter.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Lead image: Marco Rubio’s YouTube Channel

Marco Rubio

[Tallahassee, FL] The House on Tuesday rejected an attempt to force Miami to keep a possible property tax burden for the parking garage at the new Miami Marlins ballpark.

The team negotiated a deal that made the city responsible for the property tax on the garage, but Miami House Republicans put a provision in a broad tax bill (HB 7097) that would get the city of Miami out of having any liability for taxes on the property.

But Rep. Ana Rivas Logan (R-114/Miami) bucked the rest of her party and filed an amendment to the bill that would remove the protection, putting the city potentially back on the hook for paying the property tax.

Rivas Logan said the state should stay out of what is essentially a fight between the city and the Miami Marlins (formerly the Florida Marlins) – and she wants the city to aggressively pursue the baseball team to have it pay the tax.

“The taxpayers should not be throwing in the towel to a very big corporation like the Marlins,” she said.

Opponents of the amendment said that if Rivas Logan was successful in removing the provision, it would cost the city of Miami taxpayers $2 million a year – because the team isn’t contractually obligated to pay it and isn’t going to.

Photo: Miami Marlins

The new home of the recently rechristened Miami Marlins

The issue has gotten more tense than a late October pennant race.

“Last night I received a phone call to my home, a threat, to pull this amendment, because I was going to lose on the floor anyway,” said Rivas Logan.

Rivas Logan’s amendment failed on a 73-41 vote and so the bill continues to get the city off the hook for the tax, and could come up for a full House vote as early as Wednesday.

She was not the only Republican to vote for the amendment; she was joined by Rep. Rachel Burgin (R-56/Tampa), Rep. Fred Costello (R-26/Ormond Beach), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-4/Fort Walton Beach), Rep. Gayle Harrell (R-81/Stuart), Rep. Paige Kreegel (R-72/Punta Gorda), Rep. Debbie Mayfield (R-80/Vero Beach) and Rep. John Tobia (R-31/Melbourne).

By: The News Service of Florida

Image: Miami Marlins

Miami Marlins

[Washington, D.C.] This week, with Florida the center of attention thanks to Tuesday’s Republican primary, Marco Rubio – the U.S. Senator from the Sunshine State by way of Miami – found himself back in Washington, D.C., joining the rest of his fellow senators to start the second session of the 112th Congress.

They are part of the least-popular Congress in history, mind you.

Rubio wasted no time, he hit the ground running, raising a ruckus over the national debt and hammering Senate Democrats for failing to pass a budget for over 1,000 days. He also blasted the president for “counterproductive” tax measures hours before Obama delivered his State of the Union Address.

It’s the kind of talk that has gained Rubio a following across the red parts of the country – that and his Hispanic heritage and made-for-the-History Channel back story. It is no wonder the charismatic son of Cuban immigrants is being bandied about as a possible vice presidential candidate to run alongside Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney.

But Rubio has always denied that there is interest in joining a ticket and has gone out of his way to keep the kingmaker wolves at bay (at least until after Florida’s contentious Republican primary).

In a recent interview with USA Today, Rubio was singing the same tune:

Q: Speaking of vice president, has any campaign vetted you for the job?

A: Not even talked to me about it… Look guys, I get all that. But we’re not really focused on that. It’s not something we’ve talked about with anybody.

Here’s the bottom line: I want to do everything I can to ensure that Barack Obama doesn’t get a second term. Nothing personal. I think the man is a good father (and) a good husband. I believe he loves his country. But I think he is a believer in a flawed ideology and I think his policies reflect it. And I want to see him defeated and I want to do anything I can and almost everything I can to help our nominee win, but I don’t believe that’s going to be in the role of vice president.

Photo: Sen. Marco Rubio's Office

Sen. Marco Rubio (shown visiting Libya) is staying out of the Republican primary

Helping his chances with either of the Republican primary frontrunners – if he does eventually change his mind, that is – is the fact that he refuses to endorse anyone before Tuesday’s primary. That’s just smart politics any way you slice it.

Plus, both Gingrich and Romney helped him win his Senate seat via endorsements and stumping, so how could he choose between the two?

“I’m not going to referee or somehow (be an) arbiter of Florida,” Rubio was quoted as saying. “Voters don’t need me in that role.”

Staff Mobile Office Hours

Rubio’s staff will be hosting Mobile Office Hours to meet with constituents and assist them with federal issues in their own communities.

All times listed below are local:

Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012

Lake County
10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
W.T. Bland Public Library
1995 North Donnelly Street
Mount Dora, FL 32757

Sumter County
2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Villages Public Library at Belvedere
325 Belvedere Boulevard
The Villages, FL 32162

Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012

Miami-Dade County
9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Stephen P. Clark Center
111 NW 1st Street
Miami, FL 33128

Putnam County
3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Palatka Public Library
601 College Road
Palatka, FL 32177

Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012

Brevard County
1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Melbourne Public Library
540 E. Fee Ave
Melbourne, FL 32901

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Image: Sen. Marco Rubio’s website

Republican primary

[Tallahassee, FL] Today, Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order that compels the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget staff to do a “comprehensive review” of the state’s special taxing districts.

It is part of the Gov.’s thorough evaluation of all of the state’s tax-related entities and governing bodies, something he campaigned on.

“It has come to my attention that some special districts have been delinquent in submitting information about their activities,” said Gov. Scott. “With such a significant impact on the lives of every Floridian and our economy, it is critical that we get a firm grasp on how these special districts are operating and hold them accountable.”

Scott wants more information about each of Florida’s approximately 1,600 special taxing districts, each with the power to tax, spend and incur debt.

Specifically, the governor wants to know what purpose was it created for, is it being governed efficiently, are taxes being levied appropriately, is the district accountable and operating in a transparent manner, is it spending the money wisely and is it complying with current oversight procedures.

The Office of Policy and Budget staff will conduct a full review as well as make cost-cutting recommendations and institute mechanisms for accountability. Since taking office, Gov. Scott has also ordered reviews of the state’s water management districts and hospital districts, which will be exempt from the next round of investigations.

“A major factor in our goal of lowering the cost of living for Floridians are the roughly 1,600 special districts in Florida which bring in more than $15 billion in taxpayer-funded revenues each year,” said Gov. Scott. “Floridians have a right to know what they’re being taxed for and how that money is spent.”

“This review will bring to light these questions and allow us to identify ways to save taxpayers money and increase accountability,” said Scott.

View the executive order here.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Image: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

special taxing districts

[Tallahassee, FL] On the day millions of holiday shoppers were being encouraged to hit up online retailers, Gov. Rick Scott acknowledged it isn’t fair that most people don’t pay Florida online sales tax on those purchases – but said he doesn’t want to do anything that would change that because he doesn’t want to “take more money out of the private sector.”

Scott made his remarks during an interview with the editorial board at the Daytona Beach News-Journal on Monday, the day billed by online retailers as “Cyber Monday,” a promotion aimed at getting people to make holiday gift purchases online.

His statement on the issue also comes as some lawmakers – pushed by brick-and-mortar retailers – seek to make it easier for Florida to collect online sales tax from out-of-state companies.

Several big and small business organizations support doing more to collect the tax, including the Florida Retail Federation and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which says collection of sales tax on online purchases could bring the state as much as $2 billion a year.

“The out-of-state merchant not only doesn’t collect or pay (online sales tax) in Florida, but uses this fact to gain a price advantage through being able to sell an item at a lower cost simply because he or she doesn’t collect the tax due on the sale,” the Florida Retail Federation said in an issue paper on the topic.

The Republican controlled Legislature has declined to take up the discrepancy in the past – largely because of arguments like that made by Scott – that it amounts to a tax increase on people who make online purchases. Backers of the idea, however, say the sales tax should already be collected – sales of most items by people in Florida are supposed to be subject to tax – and that to collect the revenue would simply be closing a loophole.

U.S. courts, including the Supreme Court, have said that disparate state sales tax systems make it an undue burden on retailers to have to collect online sales tax for purchases by people in other states.

Scott acknowledged in his editorial board interview that it isn’t fair to non-online retailers that they have to collect the tax while online retailers don’t.

“It’s not fair. You shouldn’t be treated differently, whether you’re selling online or in bricks-and-mortar – that’s not fair,” Scott said. “But, at the same time, my focus is not to do it where we raise taxes. I don’t want to take money out of the private sector.”

Photo: Meredith Geddings/House Photo

Rep. Rehwinkel Vasilinda debates Paycheck Protection Bill (HB 1021) on March 25, 2011

So, Scott condones non-compliance with the law?

“Is it raising taxes to have a mechanism that helps Florida collect the sales taxes we’re already supposed to pay?” Scott continued. “If it’s out of your pocket, that’s a tax.”

Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, (D-9/Tallahassee), is carrying the bill (HB 321) in the House this year that would simplify the state’s sales tax system in an effort to qualify Florida for participation in a national compact aimed at making it easier for businesses to voluntarily collect and remit online sales tax from out-of-state purchases.

“Millions of dollars flow from Florida to out-of-state online retailers who don’t employ a single Floridian or pay any property taxes,” Rehwinkel Vasilinda said in a statement this week promoting her bill. “These out-of-state retailers are given an unfair and growing competitive advantage over responsible Florida businesses.”

Sen. Evelyn Lynn (R-7/Ormond Beach) is carrying the Senate version of the bill (SB 430).

Rehwinkel Vasilinda said the proposals would help local businesses create jobs – and noted the Internet, where retailers have reported double-digit increases in sales in recent years – isn’t going away.

“We live and do business in a 21st century economy. It is time Florida had a 21st century tax code,” she said.

Neither the House bill nor its Senate companion has been scheduled for a committee hearing yet this year. But that hasn’t stopped the issue from getting lots of play from some of the state’s loudest legislators, who note that $2 billion in lost revue for the state is not chump change.

“To put that $2 billion into perspective, Rick Scott cut public education last year by $1.3 billion, even though he initially wanted to cut public education by $3.3 billion,” said Rep. Scott Randolph (D-36/Orlando) in a widely distributed email. “Florida’s budget shortfall this year is another $1.5 billion, and … there’s no doubt that he will propose even more education cuts.”

So, given that this loophole hurts Florida’s businesses and hurts our children’s schools, you’d think that Rick Scott would support closing this online sales tax loophole.

By: David Royse/The News Service of Florida. Additional reporting by Mark Christopher

Images: lead image/video MyMainStreetFlorida.com, Rehwinkel Vasilinda photo via House website

online sales tax