Jacob Ogles
The back-to-school tax holiday kicks off Saturday, and Florida TaxWatch is celebrating the savings.
“Florida TaxWatch encourages parents to use the upcoming Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday as an opportunity to engage their children in shopping for clothes and supplies, exciting them about returning to the classroom after a stressful school year,” said Dominic Calabro, President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch.
He also used the last of three tax holidays over the summer to promote the organization’s recent report, Beyond the Pandemic: Long-Term Changes and Challenges for K-12 Education in Florida, which looks at how the pandemic took a toll on students’ learning experience and mental health.
As for the material savings, families from July 31 through Aug. 9 will be able to buy specific items free of sales tax. That includes clothing that costs up to $60, school supplies priced at $15 or less, and the first $1,000 on the price of a computer.
The holiday won approval from the Florida Legislature and the signature of Gov. Ron DeSantis. It follows a 10-day disaster preparedness tax-free week, when consumers could buy storm supplies without state sales tax, and Freedom Week, a new sales-tax holiday this year on live entertainment and outdoor recreation supplies.
The popular school tax break, the oldest of the tax holidays, serves primarily to lighten the burden of back-to-school costs for families, but gives everyone a break on the specified goods.
“From an economic perspective, parents should also take advantage of this tax cut because it will save them a perceptible amount of money — approximately $69.4 million in total — which could help those facing financial constraints,” Calabro said.
“We commend Governor Ron DeSantis, Senate President Wilton Simpson, House Speaker Chris Sprowls and the legislature for ensuring this benefit was made available to Florida families once again, especially this year.”
