You know us for sales tax. But our team handles the full spectrum of Florida and federal tax controversy, often for the same clients who first came to us for a sales tax audit. Keep reading to learn how we regularly save clients time, money, and serious headaches in other tax situations.
1. Communications Services Tax (CST): The Hidden Cost Center
If your business sells cable, satellite, VoIP, streaming, wireless, or bundled digital services, you’re almost certainly dealing with Florida’s CST, and it’s one of the most complex tax regimes in the state. Rates stack across state, local, and gross receipts components, and the classification question alone, whether something is a “communications” service or an “information” service, can swing your liability by six figures. We handle CST audits, refund claims, and nexus determinations for providers of all sizes, helping clients reduce exposure and get clarity where the rules are anything but clear.
2. Documentary Stamp Tax: The Tax Nobody Expects
Florida’s documentary stamp tax applies to deeds, promissory notes, and mortgages, but it doesn’t stop there. It can also quietly apply to unrecorded transfers, intercompany conveyances, and LLC contributions that many practitioners miss entirely.
That’s where problems start. A single unrecorded deed can trigger an assessment years later, often stacked with penalties and interest. Before transferring real property, refinancing a note, or restructuring ownership between affiliated entities, it’s worth a quick review. Catching this early is significantly easier than fixing it later.
3. Motor Fuel Tax: Not Just for Gas Stations
Florida’s motor fuel tax regime reaches far beyond the pump. Terminal operators, suppliers, importers, blenders, and exporters all face licensing, bonding, and reporting requirements, and DOR audits in this space tend to be aggressive.
We represent clients in classification disputes, refund claims for exempt uses (including agricultural, marine, and off-road), bond and licensing issues, and protests of proposed assessments.
4. Tobacco & OTP Tax: Classification Is Everything
Florida taxes tobacco and “other tobacco products” (OTP), which have some of the highest effective rates in the state. The challenge is that classification isn’t always obvious, and it matters. The difference between a product being classified as a cigar, a wrap, or an OTP product can mean the difference between a 85% tax and no tax at all.
We defend distributors, wholesalers, and retailers in classification audits, licensing matters, and product-level disputes, often negotiating assessments down significantly.
5. Florida Corporate Income Tax: Quietly One of the Most Audited
Florida doesn’t have a personal income tax, but its corporate income tax is very real and more aggressively audited by the Department of Revenue than most businesses expect.
Common pressure points include apportionment disputes, addback issues, NOL carryforward challenges, and credit denials. Once interest and penalties are layered in, the numbers at stake can escalate quickly.
If you’ve received an audit notice, proposed assessment, or notice of deficiency from the Florida Department of Revenue, the response strategy matters. We help clients protect the record and navigate the process before deadlines close.
6. And More: Reemployment Tax, Property Tax, and Everything Else
Florida’s reemployment tax (the state's unemployment insurance tax) often creates issues for employers around worker classification, successor liability after acquisitions, and rate determinations, all of which can be challenged and, in many cases, reduced.
On the property tax side, we handle tangible personal property (TPP) assessments, real property valuation protests through county Value Adjustment Boards, and exemption disputes.
If it’s a Florida or multistate tax issue, there’s a good chance we handle it. And if we don’t, we’ll point you to someone who does.
Call us at (888) 444-9568 or fill out our online form to schedule an initial consultation with an experienced attorney with the Law Offices of Moffa, Sutton, & Donnini, P.A.