North Port Sun Florida retailers staffing up, marking down for upgraded back-to-school sales tax holiday TALLAHASSEE – For the first time this year, the Florida Legislature has included personal computers and accessories as school supplies for Florida’s kids during the back-to-school sales tax holiday. Retailers are expecting that to give the popular tax holiday a significant boost this year, as families take advantage of tax savings and markdowns, said Rick McAllister, president and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation. As in previous tax holidays, clothing and shoes up to $75 will be tax exempt, along with school supplies up to $15 from Aug 2-4. In addition, personal computers and accessories selling for up to $750 will be tax free. “Most families in Florida own a computer of one type or another, and we expect that many will take advantage of the tax savings to purchase computers for their kids or upgrade their own. And you’ll see great deals on clothes, shoes and school supplies. 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,” McAllister said. “Stores are actively competing with each other for customers, and that usually means plenty of mark downs to attract shoppers.” Retailers in Florida are expected to boost staffing by about 20 percent during the tax holiday weekend to accommodate shoppers. In general, retailers expect an average increase of between 30 and 40 percent in store traffic over the weekend because of the sales tax holiday. McAllister said that retail spending in Florida remains strong, and he expected retail sales to at least match last year’s growth. A National Retail Federation survey predicts that families with school-aged children will spend an average of $634.78 on apparel, shoes, supplies and electronics in 2013, down from $688.62 last year. During the tax holiday weekend, there will be no state or local sales taxes due on personal computers and related accessories having a sales price of $750 or less, purchased for noncommercial home or personal use. The term “personal computer” includes any electronic book reader, laptop, desktop, handheld, tablet or tower computer, but does not include cellphones, video game consoles, digital media receivers, or devices that are not primarily designed to process data. The term “related accessories” includes keyboards, mice, personal digital assistants, monitors (except those with TV tuners), modems, routers and nonrecreational software. As in previous tax holidays, clothing and shoes up to $75 will be tax-exempt, along with school supplies up to $15. That includes pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks, notebook paper, legal pads, binders, lunch boxes, construction paper, markers, folders, poster board, composition books, poster paper, scissors, cellophane tape, glue or paste, rulers, computer disks, protractors, compasses and calculators. For a complete list of tax-exempt items, visit dor.myflorida/dor/
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 18:39:54 +0000
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