Peter Schorsch
A new bill from a freshman House Republican could give Black Friday a run for its money. Filed on Wednesday, the proposal by Jacksonville state Rep. Jay Fant would create a sales-tax holiday for many small businesses in Florida on Nov. 28.
If passed, HB 259 would tie the tax break to Small Business Saturday, two days after Thanksgiving. On that day, shoppers can avoid paying sales taxes on a range of items at businesses remitting less than $200,000 in state sales for the previous year.
The bill would also apply to “newly created” small businesses, classified as those in operation for less than a year and remitting less than $50,000 in sales taxes to the state for a minimum of three of the previous 12 months.
Tax holidays have been a popular idea with lawmakers, retailers and shoppers. The most popular are back-to-school holidays allowing shoppers to sales-tax breaks on clothing and school supplies offered on particular days.
