Florida shoppers will get a tax break on school supplies this weekend.
From 12:01 a.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, the state’s 6 percent sales tax will not be added to a variety of merchandise associated with the beginning of school.
During the three-day holiday, most school supplies under $15 and clothing less than $75 will be included in the annual exemption.
View the full list of exemptions and more details about the tax holiday »
For the first time this year, people will also be able to purchase personal computers and accessories tax-free as long as they cost less than $750.
“It’s a winning proposition for Florida’s families and for our retailers, because we’ll see a good boost in commerce over the weekend,” said Rick McAllister, the president and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation. “Stores are actively competing with each other for customers, and that usually means plenty of markdowns to attract shoppers.”
Estimates by the FRF indicate stores will see about a 30 to 40 percent increase in shoppers and that families will spend on average about $634.78 on school-related purchases this year.
Printer paper and masking tape are not part of the school supplies exemption, but pens, pencils, binders, calculators, crayons, glue, lunch boxes, notebooks, scissors, rulers and poster board under the $15 threshold all made the list.
As to personal computers, the list of included items varies from desktop computers and laptops to handheld devices such as electronic book readers and tablets.
Cables, non-recreational software, speakers and modems are all covered by the weekend-long exemption as well.
Gaming systems, digital cameras and televisions are among the electronic items that are not going to be tax-free.
Online purchases of the exempt items will also be tax-free, if purchased within the timeline set by the Florida Legislature.
The sales tax-free holiday was first started in Florida in 1998. It continued every year until 2008 and resumed in 2010.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.