The “biggest tax relief package” in Florida history, as revealed by Governor Ron DeSantis (R), includes permanent sales tax savings on items including gas stoves, baby and toddler essentials, and more.
DeSantis briefly discussed Florida’s economic situation when speaking in Marion County, noting that Florida has no income tax and one of the lowest per capita tax rates in the nation, and vowed to “keep it that way.”
He praised the state’s top ranking in terms of the creation of new companies as well as the state’s enormous $22 billion surplus out of a $109 billion budget, adding, “We also have one of the smallest per capita debt burdens in the nation.”
“That’s a significant surplus. We’ve never had anything like that in the history of the state of Florida,” he remarked before outlining tax relief measures for Florida households in the coming months, many of which he outlined in last week’s budget release.
He listed several ongoing sales tax exemptions at the press conference on Wednesday. “One of the things that we are going to propose is a permanent tax exemption on all infant and toddler essentials, diapers, baby clothing, shoes, cribs, baby wipes, and strollers,” he added.
“Permanent sales tax exemption for gas stoves will be included in our permanent relief,” he stated, stressing that the Biden administration is trying to backtrack. “They’re attempting to remove your gas stove.”
DeSantis said that using a gas stove should remain a personal decision and claimed that elites “ultimately want to regulate the amount of energy you consume,” suggesting that this is part of their “ultimate goal.”
He said, “It doesn’t fly in the state of Florida, so we’re not going to allow that to happen here,” pointing out that the state continues to offer a tax break on all Energy Star appliances.
Over-the-counter medicines for pets will also be excluded from sales tax permanently.
DeSantis said that his plan would create additional one-year tax breaks for “essential products” including children’s sporting gear, children’s literature, and kid-sized toys.
“We’ll keep our two-week disaster preparedness sales tax holiday going… We’re also — and I believe this is going to be really, very beneficial for everyone — household things under $25, like detergent, TP, and all that stuff, no sales tax for items less than $25 for one year,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis said that the state will continue the Freedom Summer tax holiday from the previous year:
“Additionally, we initiated the first-ever Freedom Week tax holiday this past summer. We wanted Floridians to enjoy the summer, so it included things like outdoor equipment tickets for things like festivals or museums or anything. We want to be able to supply that because it might get a bit heated. That was therefore well-liked, but only for a brief time. Therefore, we will extend the Freedom Summer tax break to 15 weeks during the course of the summer. As a result, you will save money this summer on outdoor recreation equipment and supplies. This will save Floridians a quarter-billion dollars this summer.”
According to the governor, the total amount of tax reduction would be close to $2 billion.
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