Back to School Tax Free Weekend starts this weekend

Ashley Hunter, ECB Publishing, Inc.

Is your child ready for the new school year?
Friday, August 3, sets the beginning of Florida's 2018 Back-To-School Sales Tax Holiday, which will continue until Sunday, August 5.
During the tax holiday period, Florida law directs that no sales tax or local option tax be collected on purchases of clothing, footwear or accessories as long as they are $60 or less, and certain school supplies that are under $15.
If the clothing item is over $60 or the school supplies are individually being sold for over $15, then the sales tax holiday does not apply.
In addition, select books are not eligible as well as any other-wise eligible item that is sold in a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment or airport.
Starting this weekend, department stores and retail outlets will be filled with parents and teachers purchasing back-to-school clothing and supplies for their students and class rooms.
The stores might be additionally filled, as Georgia – for the second year in a row – is opting to not break holiday for their residents.
This could mean a profit boost for the businesses in Florida, South Carolina or Tennessee, all states who hold their sales tax holiday on August 3-5 as well as Alabama, whose sales tax holiday took place on July 20-22, as parents and teachers in Georgia travel out of state to take advantage of the sales tax holidays in surrounding states.
What is included in the sales tax holiday?
Almost any item of clothing, including athletic and fitness clothing, pants, shirts, shoes, coats or jackets, leggings or tights, and raincoats; accessories including handbags or wallets, scarves, diapers, bicycle helmets, hats, backpacks or book bags, socks, swimwear, and receiving blankets.
School supplies which will be tax-exempt during the sales tax holiday will include binders, calculators, crayons, erasers, glue, notebooks or notebook filler paper, pencils, rulers, scissors and lunch boxes.
Want a complete list of what will be included on the sales tax exemption as wells as information regarding rain checks or gift cards, visit floridarevenue.com/backtoschool/Pages/default.aspx to learn more.