Florida will be introducing a 10-day tax-free holiday to kick off the back-to-school season. The holiday will begin Friday, August 7 and will end Sunday, August 16.
The tax-free holiday is usually three days, but this year the Florida Senate voted in favor for an extension of the holiday.
The items included in the holiday are clothing, footwear and accessories. Each item must be worth $100 or less to be considered for the exemption.
It will also include school supplies $15 or less and the first $750 of the sales price for computers and technological accessories. The computers and related accessories must be for personal use only.
Floridians, and students like Sandra Coleman, a fourth-year Computer Information Systems student at Florida A&M University (FAMU) from Tallahassee thinks the idea of the 10-day holiday versus the three day is more beneficial.
“Yes, I think the ten-day break is better than the three. Everything is so overpriced, so it is nice to give the consumers a break,” said Coleman.
Students are not the only ones anticipating the 10-day tax exemption. Retail employees like Scott Transou, CVS Pharmacy manager and third-year biology student at Florida State University (FSU) sees the tax break as a positive note for both businesses and students.
“It helps out so much. I am in school right now and I have to pay for my tuition and school supplies on my own. Anywhere we can get a cut back on how much we spend, will be good,” said Transou.
“Our location is right near student apartments and not too far from campus. We will be seeing heavy foot traffic.”
Retail employees compare the business they receive on the tax-free holiday to the crowded scenes of Black Friday.
Nick Rudolph, store manager of Aeropostale describes the atmosphere of the tax break.
“For the customers, it’s a huge deal. It’s like Black Friday. There are back-to-school sales going on and it’s good because people will be able to get better deals,” said Rudolph.
Some items that will still be taxable in clothing are briefcases, athletic equipment and umbrellas.
Examples of school supplies that will be taxed include computer paper, staplers and staples.
The technology-related items that will be exempt from the tax-free sale are smartphones, gaming systems and CDs.