Florida Business Advantages and Incentives
Florida has traditionally boasted a variety of advantages that make it a profitable site for nearly every
type of business while progressive legislation ensures that Florida will remain a magnet for new and
expanding business. This fact sheet provides highlights of Florida's advantages, incentives and reasons
so many companies have chosen to locate and expand their businesses in Florida.
Tax Advantages
- In Florida, businesses profit from modest tax bills.
- No sales/use tax on boiler fuels. Corporate income tax rate for C-corporations is 5.5 percent.
- First $5,000 of taxable income apportioned to Florida is exempt.
- No corporate income tax on subchapter S-corporations.
- No state personal income tax guaranteed by constitutional provision.
- No corporate franchise tax on capital stock.
- No state-level property tax; assessed at the county level. Exemptions of up to 10 years may be
granted locally to new or expanding businesses. No property tax on business inventories.
- No property tax on goods-in-transit for up to 180 days.
- No sales and use tax on goods manufactured or produced in the state for export outside the state.
- No sales tax on purchases of raw materials incorporated in final product for resale, including
non-reusable containers or packaging.
- No sales/use tax on boiler fuels.
Tax Incentives
Numerous tax incentives benefit new or expanding Florida industries.
- Sales/use tax exemption for purchases of machinery and equipment used by a new Florida business to
manufacture, produce, or process tangible personal property for sale. For a an existing Florida
manufacturer wanting to expand, a $50,000 cap on sales tax liability is imposed for purchases of
machinery and equipment that will increase production b a least 10 percent.
- Sales tax exemption on labor component of Research and Development expenditures.
- Pollution control equipment is assessed at salvage value rather than fair market value for property
taxes.
- Foreign source dividends are deleted from corporate income tax base.
- Certain international financial transactions are exempt from documentary stamp tax.
- International banking transactions are not subject to her intangible personal property tax.
