110 W. New York Ave.
DeLand, FL 32720
386-734-4622
By Pat Hatfield
posted Jul 8, 2008 - 4:43:43pm
First, there was one. Then, there wasn't to be one. Then, maybe there would be a shortened one. Then, there was confusion.
Spokeswoman Renee Watters at the Florida Department of Revenue in Tallahassee put the matter of the back-to-school sales-tax holiday to rest: There won't be one this August.
"The Legislature never authorized it," she said.
Click here to comment on this story, and learn how Beacon reporter Jen Horton and her children coped with the loss of the sales-tax holiday.
Legislators, specifically state senators, were worried about tight budgets, and didn't want to lose any revenue.
As Watters pointed out, there's no chance of legislators approving the tax holiday now. The Legislature is not even in session.
Both families and retailers found the decade-long run of the tax-free back-to-school shopping days at the beginning of August a boon. Last year, savings amounted to more than $46 million.
Even the skeptical watchdog organization Florida TaxWatch became enthusiastic about it, after observing the sales-tax holiday for a few years.
"When the first sales tax holiday was created, many people, including Florida TaxWatch, believed that it would be more of a symbolic gesture than a real economic stimulus. That first sales tax holiday proved to be very popular with both taxpayers and retailers. Over the next three years, the Legislature enacted three more holidays, and its has become even more popular and some very real benefits have become apparent," TaxWatch senior research analyst Kurt Wenner wrote.
President Rick McAllister of the Florida Retail Federation in Tallahassee said in a phone interview with The Beacon, "We were very disappointed when it did not pass in the Senate. It passed in the House, and the governor said he would sign it."
Talk in the Senate went to the last day of the session, he said.
McAllister called the back-to-school tax holiday "a real economic stimulus, and helpful to families trying to buy back-to-school items. We'll have to convince the Senate it won't cost as much as it will generate."
He explained the tax holiday stimulates sales of items that are taxable. When families go shopping for tax-free items, they buy other things, as well, generating tax revenues for the state.
Plus, people just like tax-free shopping. There's a psychological component, McAllister said.
Now, the Alabama Retail Association informed McAllister it will advertise in Florida, to woo shoppers across the state line for Alabama's back-to-school tax holiday. Georgia has done that in the past, he said.
McAllister hopes the Florida sales-tax holiday will return next year. "It's a win-win situation."
Meanwhile, the hurricane-season sales-tax holiday, authorized after the devastating 2004 hurricane season, lived only a few short years. The Legislature nixed its return for the beginning of the 2008 storm season in June.
Reader Comments
The comments posted below are posted by readers, not by The Beacon staff. These comments express the views and opinions of the authors, and not the administrators, moderators or webmaster. The comments forum is governed by these rules. Please use the report abuse link if you find offensive comments.
children (I have a home daycare)Better Luck next year I guess!
so i can send them a piece of my mind. The gas the food the clothes the utilities the medical expenses.Ive never asked for help from the goverment but now i have no choice these people have no idea you can pay your monthly bills or buy food for the kids.Im tired of eating mac and cheese and peanut butter.Do they realize what the average person goes through just to make it through next month.This is the only time of the year i buy clothes this has to last them all year.They need a wake up call .Our Govenor should be dooing something as well and all these people are looking to be reelected ,maybe not.Maybe we should not elect a politician and elect a nobody that can actually hear what we have to say.
P.S. IF a petition is created against the government then im all to willing to sign it. The legislation will get off the arse's and get back into session or....else.
P.S. IF a petition is created against the government then im all to willing to sign it. The legislation will get off the arse's and get back into session or....else.
With that said, we have been dealing with the spike in "cost of living" for well over a year now so there's absolutely no excuse for not making adjustments to our habits when it comes to eating, entertainment, driving, and so on. Even the smallest adjustment will make a difference. And the increase in the cost of groceries is a sign telling us to budget better while also suggesting that we reconsider buying that bag of potato chips and spend it on a lb. of apples, for example.
All I know is, I'll be proposing to my colleagues at work that we look in to having each person donate $20, buy school supplies with it and donate them to local K-12 schools in our community. The cool thing about doing it this way is, no matter how old you are, if everyone around you is donating for a good cause you feel morally obligated to join in. Once you have donated, the feeling of helping out others in need is a feeling unmatched by any other. 100 people x $20 is $1,886.79 worth of school supplies from one organization. Imagine how much an entire community could generate if each person donated just $20?
Is it fair? No. But that should NEVER stop us from reacting to the situation and adjust accordingly. Nothing would ever get done if everyone sat around waiting for someone else to do something.
Why can't we get up a petition to sign and
send in to the Legislators insisting they have
the Tax Free week. This is our state too and we deserve it. It is not too late, they change things all the time. Why not now.
Some day...
Some where...
Some how...
We as single moms shall prevail!!
Comment on this article
Commenting is closed for this article.
If you would like to contribute a letter to the editor, please click here.
Did you find this story interesting or informative? Subscribe to The West Volusia Beacon to read more stories by Pat Hatfield, along with others from our award-winning writers. Subscribe now!
Photos - Real Estate - Newcomer's Guide - Beacon Magazines - Advertise - Local Web Sites - About Us - Beacon Archives