Types of Florida Taxes

Sales Tax Lawyer in Florida

While it can be crucial to understand the various types of taxes that you must pay and the laws which govern them, the complexity and constantly changing Florida tax laws, rules, and case law make it very hard and often cost prohibitive to keep abreast of all facets of Florida tax law. However, failure to do so can result in your business over paying tax or finding out you've been underpaying Florida taxes for years during a not so friendly visit from the Florida Department of Revenue. For CPAs and attorneys, this can mean that your clients can run into difficulties, affecting their ability to do business and conduct their affairs as usual. Even the most law abiding, tax compliant companies out there can unknowingly fail to account for Florida taxes with devastating results. Sometimes, the Florida Department of Revenue (DOR) can become overzealous in their actions or the issues can get very complex. When trouble begins, you should contact a Florida tax professional and hopefully you will consider an aggressive Florida sales tax audit attorney from the Law Offices of Moffa, Sutton, & Donnini, P.A..

Not all taxes are applicable to each individual or business. Major tax types in our state include:

• Property or ad valorem taxes at the local level, based on the value of your real estate.
• Sales tax on certain purchased goods and services (Link to Article on Taxable Services)
• Use tax on certain consumed goods or services
• A documentary stamp tax on specific documents such as those that transfer property or debt instruments
• Discretionary sales surtax, imposed by some counties or cities
• Corporate income tax on C-Corporations that do business in our state
• Communications Services Tax
• Insurance Premium and Procurement Taxes
• Pollutants Tax
• Fuels Taxes (various)
• Solid Waste Taxes and Fees
• And many more...

There are other taxes, such as estate tax, gross receipts tax, severance tax, and unemployment tax which may be of concern to you. With more than 50 years of practice as attorneys and CPAs, we have the knowledge required to determine what forms of taxation apply to you.

Our firm is specifically dedicated to helping individuals and businesses that are in tax trouble or are concerned that they soon may be. When you have a Florida tax warrant, have received a Form DR-840 notifying you of the intent to audit or are currently in a tax audit, it can pay to use our decades of experience in successfully resolving difficult tax situations in our state. If you are a lawyer or CPA and your client is under a Florida tax audit, we provide the unique service of focusing almost exclusively on Florida tax controversy work. We assist from the first notice of audit through to the successful conclusion of the difficulty and any stages in between, including tax controversy when necessary. We do not attempt to take your client for any other issues other than producing the best possible outcome to their tax problem.

To learn more about us and what we do, please visit the pages of our website. For your information, we have included additional data below on important areas of taxation that can, at times, be troublesome.

Additional Information on Tax Types

Sales and Use Tax (Discretionary Sales Surtax) - Purchases made of goods (tangible personal property) and some services are subject to sales taxes at the time the sale is made. Florida's sales tax rate is 6% and a business must collect the tax from their customers and remit these taxes in full and on time. (Sales Tax and Hotel Tax Rates by County as of 3-1-12) A use tax can also be assessed when goods or services are consumed in Florida and sales tax was not paid. Use taxes are often a hot Department of Revenue audit item for businesses that purchase goods or materials from out of state or manufacture goods for their own use. Additionally, a discretionary sales surtax is charged in many counties and cities on merchandise or services subject to sales or use tax at the state level. With each of these taxes, certain exemptions may apply in your situation. Sales and use tax laws are by far the most comples in Florida with a myriad of of goods or services taxed or exempted based on nothing more than industry lobbying efforts. By utilizing our state tax planning and consulting services, problems with these taxes can frequently be avoided or correct with the lest financial pain possible through a voluntary disclosure process that we can manage for your company from beginning to end. Read more about sales and use tax (discretionary sales surtax)...

Communication Services Tax - If your company sells communications services, then are subject to the Communication Services Tax your company must register as a dealer with the Florida Department of Revenue. But what are "Communication Services?" Examples of types of services which fall under this tax are cable television, direct-to-home satellite, mobile communications, pagers and beepers and long distance or toll telephone services. A business can be unaware of the need to collect these taxes or how to properly account for them which can lead to trouble and this is where we can be of service. Does your business charge or pass through costs for faxing? Even these types of charges may be subject to tax. Learn about the Communication Services Tax...

Corporate Income Tax - All business that or C-corporations or S-Corporations on the Federal income tax level must file a corporate income tax return if they are doing business in Florida. This applies as well to out-of state corporations and businesses that whether or not they owe taxes. However only C-Corporations are required to pay the Florida corporate income tax. Most business owners are aware of the need to pay these taxes but many run into difficulties that can become costly for them. We often see clients that think that do not owe tax because they because they believe that they have filed a valid S-Corporation election, but the election was not approved for whatever the reason. This can result in Florida corporate income tax being due for all years the company has been operating in Florida - plus penalties and interest; a situation that we can often help remedy on the state and federal level. Read more about corporate income tax... 

Documentary Stamp Tax - A documentary stamp tax is assessed on documents which transfer interest in Florida real property. It also is levied for other types of obligations to pay money that are executed or recorded within our state. The laws and regulations on this tax can be complex, giving trouble to individuals and business owners alike. Our firm works to get these problems resolved quickly and efficiently so that you can get on with your business. Click here for more information on the documentary stamp tax...

To learn about Florida taxes and how to prevent or resolve difficulties with them, contact a Florida sales tax lawyer from our firm.