Florida rings in a new 10 day Tax Free Holiday

Friday starts the 2015 Tax Free Holiday where shoppers do not have to pay sales taxes for certain items.

No state and local taxes on clothing worth $100 or less, sales taxes are also waived for school supplies worth $15 or less, and you'll get a tax break on the first $750 on a computer purchase.

Exciting news for parents---this year the event runs for 10 days instead of one weekend!

"It gives us more time to do what we need to do," said one Wal-Mart shopper.

Wal-Mart on Princeton Street at John Young Parkway spoke to News 96.5 about the deals the retailer is offering.

Rick Tomb Market Manager for Orlando Wal-Marts, "You're going to see some great values."

"We also have a rollback on the TI-84 Plus. You're going to save $26.00."

Valerie Davis, kindergarten teacher in Orange County, says she will be taking advantage of the deals during the Tax Free Holiday.

"Pencil pockets, I like to get those. Also, I get to buy uniforms for myself. It's nice to go and get the colored uniforms that the children wear at a discounted price for me."

The holiday ends August 16th.

The down side

The Tax Foundation did a 2014 study on tax free holidays and concluded that they really don't lead to a significant boost to affected businesses' sales.

"Sales-tax holidays do not promote economic growth or significantly increase consumer purchases," the report says. "The evidence shows that they simply shift the timing of purchases. Some retailers raise prices during the holiday, reducing consumer savings," according to an article on paychex.com.

Instead, the Tax Foundation report says that tax holidays create complications for small retailers that must reprogram their cash registers to not charge sales tax on the specific days and products covered by the tax holiday.