NFIB State Executive Director Bill Herrle today urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto Senate Bill 1382, legislation that would make it harder for small businesses to defend themselves if they are audited by the Department of Revenue.

“Basically, it stacks the deck against a small business owner the minute the tax auditor walks in the door,” Herrle said.

“If S.B.1382 becomes law, businesses would be prevented from presenting additional evidence to a judge found after the initial audit to prove that the state’s tax estimate is incorrect. On top of that, the bill automatically assumes a business owner acted with willful neglect if their records are incomplete, triggering a 50 percent fine on top of any tax debt the Florida Department of Revenue had already estimated. If you make an honest mistake and overlook even a single document, the state will automatically assume you were trying to cheat the system and punish you by making you pay more.

“S.B. 1382 is heavy-handed and intentionally punitive toward small businesses,” Herrle said. “It assumes you’re guilty without giving you a chance to prove your innocence.

“That’s patently unfair, and it’s why we’re urging Governor DeSantis to support Florida’s small business owners and veto S.B. 1382.”