Florida's taxes are among the nation's best, with exceptions
By HELEN HUNTLEY
Published September 13, 2004
Floridians still pay some of the lowest taxes in the nation, but they're No. 1 in something: the documentary stamp tax levied on real estate transactions.
Florida TaxWatch, which keeps a vigilant eye on such things, says the average Floridian paid less than the U.S. average in almost every category of state and local taxes in fiscal year 2002.
The biggest exception was those doc stamps, a category that also includes stock-transfer taxes and the intangibles tax on new mortgages. Across the country, those taxes amounted to an average of only $18 a person, but in Florida they were $114.
Floridians also paid above-average sales taxes and taxes on alcoholic beverages and gasoline. Those are more than offset, however, by the fact that Florida is one of only seven states with no personal income tax. License tag fees, corporate income taxes and local property taxes are also lower in Florida.
The bottom line: Floridians were 44th in state taxes per person, an average of $1,485, compared to a U.S. average of $1,853. For state and local taxes combined, they were 37th, an average of $2,600 compared to $3,102 nationally.
The state tax burden went down $38 while the local tax burden went up $45, compared to the previous year.
