Florida Retailers Gearing Up for Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday

Rick McAllister, the president and CEO of the Florida Retail Foundation, weighed in on Tuesday on the back-to-school sales tax holiday being held in the Sunshine State from Aug. 12 through Aug. 14. The tax holiday covers up to $75 in clothing and up to $15 on other school supplies.

This is one of the better sales periods for retailers, with or without the sales tax holiday, McAllister told the media on Tuesday. He said the weekend would provide a glimpse into the upcoming holiday sales period -- and economic recovery.

McAllister rejected staff analysis done by the Legislature that showed the state lost revenue on the event, and pointed to studies compiled by the Washington Economic Group, on behalf of the Florida Retailers, that showed the state actually gained during the sales tax weekends held on and off since 1998.

He also rejected arguments that retailers joined together to raise their prices during the tax-free weekends.

Were the most competitive business in the world, said McAllister. Theres no collusion here.