Dear Fellow Floridian:

In the January 4 edition of Dollars & Sense, I spoke about the need for permanent tax parity for Floridians and all Americans who are being punished for not having an income tax, despite bipartisan support for the issue. Although the sales tax deduction was temporarily extended as a part of the fiscal cliff negotiations, this issue is too important to everyday Floridians to not be made permanent.

This truly is an issue of fairness. If the deduction sunsets, many Floridians would be forced to pay higher federal taxes, meaning families would have less available income. In my opinion, our federal government should be doing all it can to keep hard-earned dollars in taxpayers' pockets.

I have already sent a letter to Florida’s congressional delegation asking for their support in making the sales tax deduction permanent. Now, I ask you to join me in this effort to ensure Floridians and millions of Americans are not arbitrarily penalized. We cannot leave this issue to hope and chance.

I ask you to join me today. Visit http://www.myfloridacfo.com/TaxParity/ to lend your voice in support of making the sales tax deduction permanent in the federal tax code.

News of Interest

Bradenton Herald: Improve contracting process in Florida state spending

Sarasota Herald-Tribune: You may have a share of $1 billion just waiting for you

Sun-Sentinel: Office Depot debuts 'interactive' store, as merger rumors boosts stock

Washington Post: Eight sectors primed for explosive start-up growth in 2013

Sun-Sentinel: Florida businesses awarded Blue Ribbon status

Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Fed touts Florida housing rebound

Florida's Bottom Line on Florida Finance

Read the latest issue of Florida's Bottom Line, a quarterly publication about Florida's financial health, to get expert commentary on 2012 and a look at the year ahead.

In between issues visit the companion website to Florida's Bottom Line to stay updated as new statistics emerge. The website features news and data on jobs and the economy, as well as useful resources for small businesses. Also take a look at our infographic on Florida's Economy 2012 - a visual display of the financial stats for the past year.