Last month, Florida Gov. Rick Scott unveiled his FY 2012-13 budget proposal. The $69.4 billion budget is a net tax cut of around $100 million over two years, with the reductions mostly targeting small businesses and manufacturers. Scott is one of 13 current governors who have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, and this proposal is in keeping with that promise never to raise taxes.

Gov. Scott has walked the walk since his swearing in a year ago. After a modified form of his initial budget proposal passed the legislature, he used his line item veto to strike an unprecedented $900 million in spending, underscoring his commitment to a lean, efficient government. Since the governor has taken office, Florida has created over 100,000 private sector jobs, a trend that should continue through his first term:

ATR President Grover Norquist sent a letter today to the Florida Legislature urging passage of Gov. Scott's budget. The full letter is pasted below. For a PDF, click here.

January 3, 2012

 

Florida Senate
Florida House of Representatives

Dear Legislator,

I write in support of Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed FY 2012-13 budget proposal, which balances Florida’s books while keeping the governor’s pledge never to raise taxes. The $66.4 billion spending plan maintains Florida’s commitment to efficient government while reducing taxes for small businesses and manufacturers.

Aided by the support and hard work of the legislature, Gov. Scott signed a budget last year that cut taxes and spending, paving the way for the creation of over 100,000 private sector jobs. It is important to continue that obligation to prioritize spending, cut government where it has grown too large, and maintain Florida’s status as a magnet for economic growth and job creation.

Florida has been one of America’s most prominent growth centers over the past decade. You are one of two states to add more than one Congressional seat in the most recent round of reapportionment, as population has fled the Midwest and Northeast for the low tax, low regulation, Right to Work states of the South and West. States like Texas and Florida continue to compete on cost and quality of life, and now is certainly not the time to waver in that regard.

From my conversations with Gov. Scott and Leadership in both chambers of the legislature, I know that Florida’s elected officials remain committed to smaller, more efficient government and a tax code that fosters innovation and economic opportunity. The governor’s budget proposal is the latest data point to prove this.

Additionally, I would like to see another push to protect the paychecks of Florida workers from the automatic deduction of union dues. That a union can effectively use the state as a broker to collect dues is a moral outrage. If unions wish to use dues for political purposes, the least they can do is ask their members for the money themselves. This proposal fell short in 2011, but I am confident that we can get this done this year with the commitment from both chambers of the legislature.

To be clear, the current budget proposal does not raise taxes, and a vote in favor is in compliance with the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. If you have any questions about the Pledge or ATR’s position on the governor’s budget, please contact Florida State Affairs Manager Joshua Culling at jculling@atr.org.   

Onward,

Grover Norquist

CC: The Honorable Rick Scott

Posted by Joshua Culling on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 10:23 AM EST

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