TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday is kicking off, and this time it's going to last longer.
Starting early Friday morning, shoppers do not have to pay state and local sales taxes on clothing worth $100 or less. Sales taxes are also waived for school supplies worth $15 or less.
The tax break is not allowed at theme parks.
PDF: Tax Free Days: What's included, what's not?
Shoppers also do not have to pay the state's 6 percent sales tax on the first $750 of any computer purchase. The exemption also applies to computer accessories.
The sales tax holiday starts at 12:01 a.m. Friday and ends on Aug. 16.
This year, state legislators extended the length of the tax holiday, which means that shoppers will be able to take advantage of the tax break over two weekends instead of one.
Stores like Wal-Mart have dedicated an entire section of their stores to back-to-school, Channel 9 found. They've even got individual school shopping lists ready and all the supplies already pulled, which makes it as close to grab-and-go as you can get.
"Last year, it was really compacted. We feel our customers will be able to spread their buying habits out over 10 days," said Wal-Mart spokesman Rick Tomb.
The event has become a big boom for Florida businesses. The average family spends as much as $630 on school supplies, clothes and electronics, officials said.
The back-to-school tax-free holiday also applies to online sales.
WFTV
