The Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) will now handle Convention and Tourist Taxes in Miami-Dade collections. Beginning this month, businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and those offering rental living accommodations are required to submit their tax payments and returns to RER's Business Section, as indicated in a recent announcement.
Those familiar taxes, like the bed tax, those for food and beverages, and the homeless and domestic violence taxes, are all part of this change. Expect a change in routine, as every business that collects these taxes is now instructed to file a tax return monthly, even if no taxes were collected for that period. The returns and payments are due on the first day of each month following the actual month of collection. Keep in mind that they're deemed late after the 20th of following month.
Starting October, paper returns are no longer accepted. RER mandates that all returns must be filed electronically via the TouristExpress online system. That means the first electronic return, covering October's collections, must be filed and paid by November 20 — this is a firm deadline to avoid penalties, as the Miami-Dade County website emphasized.
This shift to RER is all about streamlining the process, supposedly for businesses and regulators. However, adapting to a new online system can be challenging, especially when it comes with a learning curve like figuring out a new online system.
