Orlando Sentinel: Crist Should Drop Sales Tax Holiday February 24, 2010 Joseph Bishop-Henchman Joseph Bishop-Henchman From the Orlando Sentinel editorial page today: Gov. Charlie Crist — whose conservative credentials are under fire in his U.S. Senate bid from rival Marco Rubio — has called for reviving a sales-tax holiday for back-to-school shopping. Mr. Crist and other backers of this 6-percent or 7-percent sale insist it will raise revenues by driving shoppers to stores. To hear them talk, it’s almost like printing money. But count some prominent conservatives among the critics. A recent report from the Tax Foundation, a conservative think tank, panned the tax holiday as a gimmick that offers only minimal relief and shifts purchases from other times of the year. Legislative analysts have estimated the holiday would cost the state treasury $44million or more. This at a time when lawmakers might have to close a $3billion gap in next year’s budget. If Mr. Crist is trying to impress conservatives, he’d be better off with a credible plan to balance the budget. Hear, hear. See the full editorial here. For our research on sales tax holidays, see here. Stay informed on the tax policies impacting you. Subscribe to get insights from our trusted experts delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe Share Tweet Share Email Topics Florida Individual Tax Expenditures, Credits, and Deductions Sales Tax Holidays Sales Taxes Tags State Tax and Spending Policy