Tax relief may be coming your way soon if you haven’t been made whole by your insurance company after Hurricane Ian.
This week, Florida Senator Rick Scott filed legislation that would, among other things, lower the tax bill for Hurricane Ian victims.
“I don’t understand why it hasn’t happened to date. It’s not a partisan issue in my opinion,” Scott said in an interview with Fox 4 Investigates.
The legislation, which Scott has called the Federal Disaster Responsibility Act, calls for fully funding FEMA with at least $16.5 billion, ensures block grants to Florida’s citrus growers and Georgia’s peach growers devastated by natural disasters, and changes current tax codes which allow victims of Hurricane Ian to write off up to an additional 10% of their damages on their taxes.
“The holdup has been [Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer,” said Scott, (R-FL). “The way the Senate works, the Majority Leader decides what we vote on. And he’s just not allowed us to have a vote.”
Fox 4 Investigates reached out to Senate Majority Leader Schumer to see if he plans to call the bill for a vote, though his office never responded.
Neither did the office for Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, who recently told reporters she would block Scott’s Hurricane relief bill unless it’s tied to increased aid for Ukraine.
“I don’t think we ought to tie aid to Americans to aid to a foreign country. I don’t think that makes any sense,” said Scott.
Scott says he spoke with President Biden last week while he was touring the storm damage from Hurricane Idalia and urged the President to support his legislation.
