Sales tax holidays

In the past, Florida had two sales-tax holidays, one for hurricane-preparedness items and one for school supplies, but due to budgetary constraints, neither took place in 2009.

“The back-to-school holiday is not an ongoing thing; the Florida Legislature must pass a bill for it to happen,” said Renee Watters, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Revenue. The same thing is true of the hurricane-preparedness holiday, she added.

In years past, the hurricane-preparedness holiday spanned 12 days in June, while the school supply holiday took place during 10 days in August, just before school started.

Under a bill passed by the Florida Legislature, certain items were declared exempt from sales tax.

So what’s the prognosis for sales tax holidays for 2010?

Probably not so great, as legislators are predicting another year of serious budgetary challenges.

The hurricane preparedness holiday exempted flashlights and other portable, self-powered light sources costing $20 or less, along with such items as portable radios, tarps, batteries, storm shutter devices and non-electrical food storage coolers.

The back-to-school tax holiday exempted most clothing items costing $50 or less and certain school items priced at $10 or less, such as calculators, crayons, rulers and scissors.