Tax-free holiday

Get school supply and other discounts through Sunday.

Expensive computers are once again off the list of tax-free items Floridians can buy during the annual back-to-school sales tax holiday.

Today through Sunday, consumers will pay zero state and local option taxes on hundreds of items, from clothes and shoes ($60 or less) to school supplies ($15 or less), according the Florida Department of Revenue.

Computers, laptops and tablets, which in 2017 were exempt from taxes on purchases up to $750, didn't make the list this year. Other pricey tech accessories such as ink cartridges are absent, too.

The Legislature was unable to pass as large a tax-cut package as it wanted this year, with lawmakers citing a perfect storm of hurricane-related expenses as well as the $400 million in funding found in a school safety bill crafted in response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Computers were not on the tax-exempt list in 2016, either.

Last year, shoppers could save up to $52.50 in 7 percent sales tax on each device purchased for noncommercial use.

In Palm Beach County, public school begins on Aug. 13. In Broward, children return on Aug. 15. In Miami-Dade County, the return date is Aug. 21.

Tax Watch estimated Floridians saved more than $33 million in taxes during the three-day shopping extravaganza in 2017. Broward County sales tax is 6 percent. Sales tax in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties is 7 percent, which includes a 1 percent local option tax. Other Florida counties may impose an additional tax on purchases as well. For more information, go to FloridaRevenue.com /BacktoSchool.

Editor’s Note

Doreen Christensen is on vacation. Her Daily Deal will return on Aug. 9.