Atwater throws weight behind sales-tax holidays

By Josh Hafenbrack and Aaron Deslatte Reviving the back-to-school sales tax holiday got a boost from Senate President Jeff Atwater, who told reporters he’s open to the idea. The measure pushed by Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, would eliminate a handful of sales tax exemptions to pay for a three-day reprieve from Florida’s 6-cent sales tax from Aug. 8-10 on clothes and school supples. Bogdanoff proposes doing a separate holiday June 5-7 on hurricane supplies. Together, they’d cost the state $37 million in lost revenues. “If we can make this work and some of those exemptions may be appropriate trade-outs to allow Floridians to be saving some money, were going to be receptive to the conversation,” said Atwater, R-North Palm Beach. He noted that in past years, legislators have been “overwhelmingly supportive” of sales tax holidays. To pay for about $25m of the tax holiday cost, Bogdanoff proposed eliminating the sales tax exemptions on large charter fishing boat operations ($8m), magazine subscriptions ($11.2m) and adult arcades seen at places like VFW halls ($4.2m). She’d also eliminate a few high-profile exemptions with minimal fiscal impacts, on college football skyboxes and ostrich feed. Bogdanoff’s sales

tax bill was supposed to get a vote today in Finance and Tax. But with the House well into hour nine in its floor budget debate with no signs of stopping, that plan is out. Bodganoff said in a text message she’s not sure when the meeting will be rescheduled. While sales tax holidays are always popular, the tough part will be agreeing on which sales tax exemptions to target to pay for them. Senate Finance and Tax Chairman Thad Altman doesn’t like removing the charter fishing exemption. He said it’s a tough business already and the tax could put boat captains out of work. And taxing magazine subscriptions could be a First Amendment issue, he said. Bogdanoff agreed the two tax committees are “polarized,” but added she and Altman are friends and will work something out. Bogdanoff and Altman do agree on eliminating one exemption, for hospitals that run fitness centers. Currently, if you get a membership at Gold’s Gym, you pay tax; get a membership at a hospital-run gym, and you don’t. Alas, that exemption only generates $900,000.

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Atwater throws weight behind sales-tax holidays

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