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Efforts by the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission to add a sales tax to some services is likely to bring opposing from powerful groups said former Florida Governor Bob Martinez. Martinez should know. He was governor in 1987 when the state passed a sales tax on service, only to repeal it six months later after advertisers and home builders mounted campaigns against the tax. Martinez said the TBRC would be better off going after a tax on internet sales.

“There’s no reason to protect, in my view, internet sales against those that are paying taxes here in the state of Florida with buildings, hiring employees, while I go buy a product at their store I pay the same sales tax. If I buy that same product on the internet I don’t pay the sales tax,” Martinez said.

Because the state had already spent the money from the services tax, it was forced to raise the general sales tax by a penny when the services tax was repealed.