- Florida has launched the Florida IRS Transparency Portal, an online platform aimed at identifying and addressing allegations of discrimination by IRS agents.
- The portal allows individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations to report instances of discrimination and provide evidence to identify patterns of targeting based on political causes, practices, or beliefs.
- The collected data will be used to gain insights into IRS activity and potentially develop legislation to protect businesses in Florida.
State Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis on Thursday announced the launch of the Florida IRS Transparency Portal, an online platform aimed at identifying and addressing allegations of discrimination by Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents.
According to Patronis, the portal will allow individuals, private businesses, and non-profit organizations to report instances of discrimination and provide evidence to identify patterns of targeting based on political causes, practices, or beliefs. By collecting data, the CFO stated that Florida officials intend to gain insights into IRS activity, potentially facilitating the development of legislation to protect businesses in the state.
“We will take this information to look for patterns on how the IRS is targeting Floridians, which will help us craft laws to protect our businesses,” said Patronis. “We also want to provide the public with a tool where they can report harassment by the IRS.”
Patronis has been particularly stronghanded with the IRS in recent months, unveiling a four-pronged plan in February that he said was designed to “protect Floridians from government overreach” and “keep the IRS in check.”
Labeling the Biden Administration’s plans to expand the IRS by 87,000 agents and crack down on payment app transfers as an “effort to fund an out-of-control government off the backs of honest taxpayers,” Patronis outlined proposed mandatory reporting of IRS activity by state-chartered banks, establishing a fund to financially support small businesses fighting against the IRS, and implementing measures to complicate tax collection processes.
Senate Bill 372 and House Bill 507, in association with the Patronis’ Pillars of IRS protection, were filed by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia and Rep. Toby Overdorf ahead of the 2023 Legislative Session, though both were killed in committees.
Patronis also published a legislative draft last year that would require financial operatives to submit a quarterly report to the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, reporting the number of probes sent by the IRS concerning Florida-domiciled account holders.
A clause in the text also suggested that a comprehensive annual report combining data from previous quarterly reports is to be delivered to the current Speaker of the House by the end of January of each calendar year.
“This information will help us better understand where the IRS may be targeting Floridians, so we can fight back against potential discrimination,” Patronis said. “Moreover, we will make this information available to the appropriate committees in Washington that provide oversight of the IRS.”
