Florida is offering students — and all other shoppers — an opportunity to purchase apparel and school supplies without paying state sales tax. Florida state sales tax is 6 percent, which is $6 per $100 purchase. If you’re purchasing a $900 laptop, for example, you’ll save $54 in state sales taxes. The savings on a $20 shirt is $1.20.
Some of the local taxes assessed in different regions of The Sunshine State are also withheld during the “tax holiday.”
Florida’s tax-free shopping event is July 31-August 9, and tax-free purchases are valid for eligible items. Some qualifying items are fully tax-free. Others, are tax-free for a portion of the purchase price.
The event is titled “Florida Back To School Sales Tax Holiday.” However, it’s not only for students. Tax-free shopping is open to everyone.
Tax-free items
Eligible school supplies for $15 or less per item include
- pens
- poster board
- scissors
- staplers
- notebooks
- mechanical pencils
- lots of others
Eligible apparel, footwear & accessories for $60 or less per item include
- wallets
- shirts
- ponytail holders
- purses
- shoes
- ski suits
- pants
- sleepwear
- ties
- vests
- backpacks
- fanny packs
- jeans
- baby clothes & diapers
- lots of others
Eligible computers & computer-related items
For eligible items “purchased for noncommercial home or personal use,” $1,000 of the full price is tax-free
Eligible items include
- Tablet
- desktop
- laptop
- electronic book readers
- hard drives
- flash drives
- others
Read about other eligible items and rules for the shopping event on The Florida Department of Revenue website or 850-488-6800
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