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Tax-free holiday for back-to-school shopping starts this Friday

3 min read

Florida residents can prepare for some savings this weekend to help lessen the costs of back-to-school shopping.

A statewide tax-free holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, and runs through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6, where the 6% state sales tax, plus local tax, will be saved.

“We understand gearing up to send the kids back to school can bring added pressure and expenses to Florida families,” said House Majority Leader Dane Eagle, R- District 77, which includes Cape Coral. “The start of the school year often comes with a long shopping list of school supplies and clothes. During the five-day sales tax holiday, all Floridians will have the opportunity to save money on these items by not having to pay a sales tax.”

Savings include clothing, foot-wear and apparel costing $60 or less per item, school supplies and related items costing $15 or less per item, personal computers and related accessories of $1,000 or less per item and more.

“Historically the back-to-school sales tax holiday did not always include computers and computer-related items, but we realize the importance computers now play in education,” said Eagle. “This is an added benefit we included this year.”

Eagle said this tax break is implemented every year to help ease the burden of the often frantic back-to-school chaos that parents and teachers experience each fall.

“The sales tax holiday is aimed to help parents and teachers catch a break as they prepare for the school year,” said Eagle. “However, the sales tax holiday does not discriminate — everyone is eligible to save.”

The savings don’t just occur at the counter, they extend to online shipping as well.

Though, if your order, when shipping costs are added, exceeds the dollar amount threshold, it would not be tax exempt.

Coupons and discounts can also help you save even more. If you want to purchase an item that is over the exemption limit, but a coupon brings that item down to under the limit, it will then be tax exempt.

“In Florida, we understand there is no such thing as ‘government money.’ It all comes from the taxpayers, and each year we strive to find ways to put more of their hard-earned money back in their pockets,” Eagle said on why the tax-free weekend is implemented each year.

For a full list of qualifying and exempt items, as well as conditions, visit www.floridarevenue.com/backstoschool.

-Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj