TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida retailers hope for a boost to summer sales with the start Monday of a back-to-school sales tax holiday. The tax holiday, which will last through Aug. 6, allows shoppers to avoid paying sales taxes on clothes, shoes, school supplies and personal computers.

Lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis also approved a second similar holiday to be held the first two weeks of January, providing a chance to replenish supplies at the start of the spring semester.

Tax-free items

• Clothing, footwear, and certain accessories with a sales price of $100 or less per item
• Certain school supplies with a sales price of $50 or less per item
• Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles with a sales price of $30 or less
• Personal computers and certain computer-related accessories with a sales price of $1,500 or less, when bought for noncommercial home or personal use, along with related accessories, such as keyboards and monitors
• Wallets, bags, backpacks, fanny packs, footwear and diaper bags that cost $100 or less

Items that aren’t tax free

• Any item of clothing with a sales price more than $100
• Any school supply item with a sales price more than $50 (pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks, notebook filler paper, legal pads, binders, lunch boxes, construction paper, markers, folders, poster board, composition books, poster paper, scissors, cellophane tape, glue, paste, rulers, computer disks, staplers, staples, protractors, compasses and calculators)
• Books not otherwise exempt
• Computers and computer-related accessories with a sales price higher than $1,500
• Computers and computer-related accessories purchased for commercial purposes
• Rentals of any eligible items
• Repairs or alterations of any eligible items
• Sales of any eligible items within a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment or airport
• Cell phones, video game consoles and digital media receivers
• Briefcases, suitcases, garment bags, skis, swim fins, roller blades and skates

Florida Retail Federation President and CEO Scott Shalley expressed cautious optimism for the upcoming discount period when many retailers also lower tax-free items’ prices to attract even more consumers. “Hopefully, the back-to-school sales tax holiday will incentivize folks to get out and about and patronize a local retailer,” Shalley says.

National chains such as Office Depot, Best Buy, Kohl’s and Target have already announced back-to-school sales, with some including discount programs for students and teachers.

Source: The News Service of Florida

By Kerry Smith | © 2023 Florida Realtors®