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Back-to-school tax 'holiday' pitched in Senate

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida)Floridians in August would get a 10-day sales tax “holiday” for back-to-school shoppers, under a bill proposed Tuesday in the Senate. 

The measure (SB 576), filed by Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, would allow shoppers to avoid paying sales taxes during the period on clothes costing $100 or less, school supplies costing $15 or less and personal computers and accessories costing $1,000 or less. 

Lawmakers have repeatedly approved sales-tax holidays in the past, with the proposals often landing in broader tax-cut packages. In 2018, the Legislature approved a $171 million package that included a three-day holiday for back-to-school items. 

Computers were not included as lawmakers trimmed the package to shift funding to school safety after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Perry’s bill is filed for the 2019 legislative session, which starts March 5.