The House plan would grant temporary relief, but the Senate may not be inclined to go along.
By STEVE BOUSQUET
Published April 2, 2004
TALLAHASSEE - For years, Florida Democrats have criticized Republicans for cutting taxes at the expense of students, the poor and the elderly. But Democrats called for a temporary cut in gasoline taxes Thursday, and Republicans eagerly went along for the ride.
With gas prices reaching all-time highs across Florida and the cost of gas a source of growing public outrage that is emerging as a powerful political issue, two House Democrats suggested slashing the state gas tax by 10 cents a gallon for one month this summer.
"The price has risen almost 12 cents in the last month in this state," said Rep. Bob Henriquez, D-Tampa. "There doesn't seem to be any end in sight. This is the most direct kind of broad-based tax cut that we can do."
According to a survey by AAA Auto Club South, the travel organization, the average price of a gallon of unleaded gas in Florida reached an all-time high Thursday of $1.79, a jump of 11 cents in the past month. At the pump, prices for gas ranged from a statewide high of $1.85 per gallon in West Palm Beach to a low of $1.72 per gallon in Pensacola.
The average price per gallon in Tampa was $1.74. Premium fuel now tops $2 a gallon in five Florida cities.
The skyrocketing cost of gas hits home in Florida because the state is heavily dependent on tourists who arrive by car.
The Democrats' strategy is meant to appeal to middle-class consumers at a time when House Republicans are promoting a cut in the intangibles tax that favors well-to-do investors.
But a big roadblock stands between tax-cutting Democrats and cost-conscious motorists: the Florida Senate.
Senate leaders said they will support only two tax cuts: one for back-to-school shoppers and one for businesses taking an accelerated depreciation on equipment bought after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Because Florida's Constitution requires a balanced budget, tax cuts cost money.
"We're studying the issue," said Senate President Jim King, R-Jacksonville. "I don't know how we can afford it. It's a feel-good, sound-good thing, but I don't see how we can do it."
Sen. Ken Pruitt, a Port St. Lucie Republican who controls the Senate budget, was more blunt, saying that the idea was dead in the Senate because it would reduce the dollars available for building roads.
Democrats figure the gas tax cut would siphon about $90-million from state tax coffers. They suggested the money could be made up through general tax dollars after Gov. Jeb Bush vetoes items in the next budget. Every year, Bush uses his line-item veto power to reject spending items budgeted by the Legislature, creating a small surplus.
As the House passed its first version of a new state budget Thursday, Henriquez and Rep. Ron Greenstein, D-Coconut Creek, suddenly found themselves being cheered by Republicans. It was a rare departure from the usual cutthroat partisanship seen in the House.
House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City, who's running for the U.S. Senate as a proud tax-cutter, joked that there were two kinds of tax cuts: "good and better."
Randy Bly, a spokesman for AAA Auto Club South, said his group doesn't support the tax break because it opposes all types of price controls on gasoline.
"I think their hearts are in the right place, I really do," Bly said. "But this is a Band-Aid fix. It's not going to solve the problem. What would solve the problem is not being so dependent on foreign oil."
- Times staff writers Joni James and Lucy Morgan contributed to this report, which also uses information from the Associated Press.
