Florida – Before the 2014 legislative session began, the Florida Senate, Senator Don Gaetz and Governor Scott joined in a commitment to cutting taxes by $500 million.
Today, Rick Scott delivered on the largest broad based tax cut in a decade.
If you’re a young family with small children, your life-saving car seat will cost less. If you’re a family saving for college or paying for it now, your student’s meals will cost less. If you’re buying a computer or clothes for your son or daughter to start school or begin their first job, you will pay less because of the Governor’s commitment to pro-family tax cuts.
As you know, the centerpiece of the Florida Legislature’s 2014 tax relief package was Senate Bill 156, a $395 million reduction in vehicle registration fees signed into law by Governor Scott earlier this year.
With his signature today, the Governor approved House Bill 5601, which allocates the remaining $105 million available for tax relief. Highlights of the entire tax relief package are as follows:
- $395 MILLION REDUCTION IN VEHICLE REGISTRATION FEES. Click here for more information.
BACK TO SCHOOL SALES TAX HOLIDAY beginning August 1, 2014, and ending August 3, 2014. During the holiday, the following items are exempt from the state sales tax and county discretionary sales surtaxes:
- Clothing, footwear, wallets, and bags that cost $100 or less.
- School supplies that cost $15 or less per item.
- The first $750 of the sales price for personal computers and related accessories purchased for noncommercial home or personal use, including tablets, laptops, monitors, input devices, and non recreational software.
HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS SALES TAX HOLIDAY beginning on May 31, 2014, and ending on June 8, 2014. During the holiday, the following items are exempt from the state sales tax and county discretionary sales surtaxes:
- Portable self-powered light sources selling for $20 or less.
- Portable self-powered radio, two-way radio, or weather band radio selling for $50 or less.
- Tarpaulins or other flexible waterproof sheeting selling for $50 or less.
- Self-contained first-aid kits selling for $30 or less. Ground anchor systems or tie-down kits selling for $50 or less.
- Gas or diesel fuel tanks selling for $25 or less.
- Packages of AA-cell, C-cell, D-cell, 6-volt, or 9-volt batteries, excluding automobile and boat batteries, selling for $30 or less.
- Nonelectric food storage coolers selling for $30 or less.
- A portable generator selling for $750 or less.
- Reusable ice selling for $10 or less.
- SALES TAX HOLIDAY FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT PRODUCTS beginning on September 19, 2014, and ending on September 21, 2014, for the first $1,500 of the sales price for a new ENERGY STAR product or WaterSense product.
- CAR SEATS AND BOOSTER SEATS: Creates a permanent sales tax exemption for child restraint systems and booster seats for use in motor vehicles.
- YOUTH BICYCLE HELMETS: Creates a permanent sales tax exemption for bicycle helmets marketed for use by youth.
- MEAL PLANS: Creates a permanent sales tax exemption for college and university meal plans. (Meals purchased at K-12 institutions are already exempt from sales tax).
- AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Supports affordable housing, including Habitat for Humanity, by maintaining the Community Contributions Tax Credit program and increasing the available tax credits.
- PREPAID CELL PHONES: Clarifies that the tax applied to prepaid cell phones should be the state and local sales tax rather than higher state and local communications services taxes.
For more information about this or any other issue, please contact Senator Don Gaetz, by e-mail at gaetz.don.web@flsenate.gov, by letter, 4300 Legendary Drive, Suite 230, Destin, FL 32541 or call 1-866-450-4DON toll free from anywhere in Florida.