ICYMI: 10-Day Back-To-School Sales Tax Holiday Pitched For Florida

TALLAHASSEE, FL — If Gov. Rick Scott gets his way, Floridians will get more chances to save on sales taxes at checkout lines. In the $618 million tax cut package pitched by Scott Wednesday, he’s included four sales tax holidays, including a 10-day reprieve for back-to-school shoppers.

“While Florida’s economy has made great strides over the past six years, we have to continue to fight for Florida’s future and ensure our children and grandchildren have the opportunity to succeed in our great state,” Scott said in a statement announcing the tax cut package. “We know one of the best ways to do that is to keep cutting taxes, and even though we have already cut more than $6.5 billion in taxes, we can do more.”

The four sales tax holidays being proposed add up to about $98 million in savings for Florida families, the governor’s office estimates. The holidays include:

• A 10-day back-to-school sales tax holiday on items, such as clothing and supplies. The tax savings is estimated at $72 million.
• A nine-day disaster preparedness sales tax holiday. The estimated tax savings is $7 million.
• A three-day veterans' sales tax holiday. The estimated tax savings is $18.4 million.
• A one-day camping and fishing sales tax holiday that is estimated to represent a $500,000 savings.

Scott would also like to see a one-year sales tax exemption placed on college textbooks. That tax break would save students an estimated $48 million.

How many of Scott’s recommendations will be adopted by the Florida Legislature remains unclear. A 10-day back-to-school sales tax holiday, however, has already been pitched in the Senate. Last year’s sales tax holiday was only offered for three days. The state has more or less backed a back-to-school sales tax holiday since 1998.

Whether Scott’s $618 million tax cut package will be approved is up to the Legislature to decide. Some state elected officials, however, have expressed concerns about feasibility unless the state’s revenue sees a significant increase or cuts are made in programs.

Sen. Tom Lee, a Republican from the Tampa Bay area, said the full package is going to be difficult to fund.

“The Legislature’s going to basically have to change its historic spending patterns if it’s going to come up with that kind of money,” Lee was quoted by the Tampa Bay Times as saying.

The 2017-18 budget won’t be inked until lawmakers return to Tallahassee this spring. This year’s $82 billion budget was signed by Scott in early March.

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