DeSoto County: No Local Business Tax to Exempt

DeSoto County repealed its local business tax by Ordinance 2016-19, effective September 30, 2017, and the Tax Collector publishes no business tax service, so a veteran opening a business in unincorporated DeSoto County owes the county no business tax and needs no exemption. A city that levies one, such as Arcadia, applies section 205.055.

Also called: business tax receipt, local business tax, occupational license, Tax Collector, 205.055, Ordinance 2016-19, Susan Pooley, Arcadia, Nocatee, Fort Ogden, Lake Suzy, Peace River.

For: Veteran or service member, spouse, survivor.

Where it applies

Written for the jurisdictions listed here.

DeSoto County, FLCounty

Section 205.055 exempts an honorably discharged veteran, a spouse or unremarried surviving spouse, and a PCS military spouse from a local business tax; see the Florida entry. In DeSoto County there is no county tax to exempt. The Code. Article V of chapter 5 of the DeSoto County Code, "Local Business Tax" (Ordinance 2008-22), still prints its sections, but Municode's editor's note records that "Ord. No. 2016-19, adopted Oct. 25, 2016, repeals §§ 5-66 - 5-91 effective Sept. 30, 2017", and the alcoholic beverage chapter notes the same repeal of "the business tax receipt requirement". No other chapter levies a business tax. The Tax Collector. The DeSoto County Tax Collector, Susan D. Pooley, P.O. Box 729, Arcadia, collects property taxes and issues vehicle registrations, titles, driver licences and hunting and fishing licences; its pages list no business tax receipt. Inside the city. The City of Arcadia may levy its own business tax under chapter 205; where it does, section 205.055 exempts the same people there, claimed with the city.

Thresholds

Thresholds for DeSoto County: No Local Business Tax to Exempt
Gate	Rule
No county business tax; statute applies where a city levies one	DeSoto County levies no local business tax, so no veteran exemption is needed at the county level. Any city tax follows section 205.055: honorable discharge, or a listed spouse.

Sources

Updated

Last updated 2026-10-17.

What changed then:

First published.

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Disclaimer

VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.