Florida Senate - 2014                                     SM 332
       
       
        
       By Senator Garcia
       
       
       
       
       
       38-00408B-14                                           2014332__
    1                           Senate Memorial                         
    2         A memorial to the Congress of the United States,
    3         urging Congress to waive the payment of all federal
    4         taxes until the executive and legislative branches can
    5         come to an agreement and pass a resolution to fund the
    6         federal budget.
    7  
    8         WHEREAS, it is not the fault of taxpaying individuals and
    9  businesses that the executive and legislative branches of the
   10  Federal Government cannot come to an agreement on a budget, and
   11         WHEREAS, the result of such stalemate is the shutting down
   12  of government services, which affects all aspects of our
   13  economy, and
   14         WHEREAS, such shutting down directly and indirectly affects
   15  all American citizens and businesses negatively, from those
   16  800,000 government employees who have been furloughed and are
   17  not receiving a paycheck, to those commercial enterprises that
   18  depend on government employees to purchase goods or pay their
   19  bills, and
   20         WHEREAS, the shutting down of government services also
   21  results in the suspension of government programs that affect
   22  individuals who depend on those programs to carry out their
   23  everyday activities, as well as businesses that employ workers
   24  who are funded by those programs and all Americans who depend on
   25  government programs to conduct regulatory activities that
   26  guarantee the health and safety of products in the stream of
   27  commerce, and
   28         WHEREAS, all taxpayers are still required to timely pay
   29  their federal taxes even though 91 percent of Internal Revenue
   30  Service employees have been furloughed, resulting in the
   31  unavailability of tax assistance and the nonpayment of tax
   32  refunds, and
   33         WHEREAS, hardworking taxpayers should not be required to
   34  pay federally imposed taxes to a government that is unable to
   35  provide them with needed services, and
   36         WHEREAS, once the government shutdown is resolved and an
   37  agreement is reached to restart services and programs, then, and
   38  only then, should individuals and businesses begin to once again
   39  pay taxes to the Federal Government, NOW, THEREFORE,
   40  
   41  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   42  
   43         That as long as the Federal Government is unable to pass a
   44  continuing resolution to fund the Federal Government and,
   45  therefore, must reduce or discontinue government services, the
   46  payment of all federal taxes that become due and are owed during
   47  such shutdown should be permanently waived.
   48         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
   49  dispatched to the President of the United States, to the
   50  President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the
   51  United States House of Representatives, and to each member of
   52  the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.