By Ellyn Bogdanoff 

Republican state representative from Fort Lauderdale. 

Consensus is that this will be one of the most challenging 60 days that the Florida Legislature has ever faced. The difficulty that lies ahead seems insurmountable, but with challenging times comes great opportunity. 

We must have the political will to take on the old ways of government and systemically change the way we do business. It’s time to create a smarter state government that works effectively for all Floridians. Most importantly, your elected representatives have an obligation to clean up government’s house before we ask any more from any Floridian’s house. 

This legislative session, I am serving as the Chair of House Finance & Tax Council. It is my responsibility to lead the council members in their deliberations regarding state revenue issues. As we have begun to discuss these issues, it is distressing that the first thing many look to do to fill a budget shortfall is to raise taxes. That is the easy fix to our problems, albeit dangerous.

Florida receives the bulk of its taxes from sales tax revenue — a tax directly reflective of what the citizens of this state can afford. The state has less because the people have less. It seems counterintuitive to increase taxes during a recession, but nonetheless the outcry is there. 

I believe we need a different framework if we are going to successfully tackle the state’s expected $6 billion revenue shortfall. That’s why I have worked hard to find alternatives to simply raising taxes.

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