Florida: Ron DeSantis Signs $1.2 Billion Tax Relief Package

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday signed a $1.2 billion tax relief package to relieve Floridians from the burden of President Biden’s economy.

“We really worked hard to lift people up and protect jobs and protect businesses,” DeSantis said on Friday, pointing to the fact that Florida set the record for domestic tourism in 2021.

“We did not want it to descend in some type of Fauci in dystopia, and if you look at what’s happened in some of these other places, they’ve been hollowed out,” DeSantis said, noting that many areas have “not even gotten back to pre-COVID.”

“We actually have more jobs in Florida than pre-COVID. And there’s a lot of places where that hasn’t happened yet,” he said, pivoting to the dire state of affairs nationwide under President Biden’s leadership.

“What have you seen over the last 15 months, you’ve seen the federal government just printing trillions of dollars spending unimaginable amounts, and you know, they were warned that if you did this, you were going to spark inflation,” he said, pointing out that we have “the worst inflation in this country in over 40 years.”

Even as people’s wages have gone up, even as, they’ve had opportunities for jobs and all that stuff that’s all good. But if your wages are going up eight percent and the cost of everything’s going up ten percent or 15,” he continued.

The 8.5 percent is “completely understating what it is for the average American family because most of the stuff that they count that is not as significant isn’t significant to your daily lives, the things that are significant to your daily lives like fuel, like groceries, utilities, all these things, they’re much higher than 8.5 percent increases,” DeSantis said, announcing his intention to sign to “the largest tax relief in the history of the state of Florida.”

The tax relief, he said, will give breaks for critical items, including “gas, diapers, disaster supplies, tools for skilled trades, [and] recreational activities.”

“Families are going to be able to save for things that that really matter for them,” he said.

The tax holidays for the different categories — including children’s books, disaster preparedness, freedom week items, diapers and clothing, energy star appliances, home hardening, back to school, tools, and motor fuel — can be found here:

But as an example, the tax exemption period on children’s diapers, as well as baby and toddler clothing, apparel, and shoes, begins July 1, 2022 and will last one year, through June 30, 2023. 

The tax relief on disaster preparedness begins May 28 and will run through June 10, and gas relief will come in October. 

“So we’re doing diapers, clothes and shoes for babies and toddlers will be tax free for one year, beginning July 1, 2022. Children’s books will be tax free, for three months starting May 14 and that will go through August 14 leading right into the school year,” he said.

“We’re doing $200 million in gas tax holiday, so that will reduce the fuel tax on October 1st by about 25 cents a gallon,” DeSantis said.

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