State Budgets: Florida Borrowing and Hitting Smokers and Gamblers After Mortgage Stamp Taxes Fall January 1, 2009 Joseph Bishop-Henchman Joseph Bishop-Henchman Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) recently announced his plan to close a $2.3 billion shortfall in the current $66.3 billion budget (“the People’s Budget“), including borrowing $600 million from tobacco settlement money, drawing down reserves and savings from a 4 percent spending cut, claiming $135 million in returning for allowing expanded Seminole gambling, and shifting prison construction from current-year spending to borrowed bond funding. The plan has no tax or fee increases (aside from a proposed dishonest cigarette “fee” increase that’s actually a tax increase) but the 2009-10 budget is expected to have a $5.8 billion budget gap. One cause of the volatility in revenue is a heavy reliance on document stamp taxes (on mortgages). More on Florida here. Stay informed on the tax policies impacting you. Subscribe to get insights from our trusted experts delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe Share Tweet Share Email Topics Florida Tags State Tax and Spending Policy