A.G. Gancarski
Those in the market for a new gun or fishing rod might be advised to wait if looking for tax breaks.
A Senate bill envisioning a “hunting and fishing sales tax holiday” on Tuesday cleared Commerce and Tourism, its first committee of reference.
SB 1310, carried by Melbourne Republican Debbie Mayfield, would exempt purchases of “firearms” from taxation.
The tax holiday would last just 24 hours: “12:01 a.m. through 11:59 p.m. on September 5, 2020.”
That date is the Saturday before Labor Day.
Potentially tax-free firearms include “rifles, shotguns, spearguns, crossbows, and bows, but not … destructive devices,” which statute defines as “any bomb, grenade, mine, rocket, missile, pipebomb, or similar device containing an explosive, incendiary, or poison gas.”
The Mayfield bill also offers the day-long tax break on certain fishing items, such as “rods, reels, bait, and fishing tackle,” with “commercial” gear excluded.
The hit to the state would be modest: $237,000 out of the current year’s general fund budget.
The Senate bill has two committee stops ahead: Finance and Tax, then Appropriations.
The House version (HB 777), introduced last week, has yet to see a committee agenda.
