Now that Florida’s infamous use tax for visiting out-of-state aircraft is history, the state legislature is considering a bill to expand the sales-tax exemption on aircraft parts and maintenance labor to boost the state’s once lucrative aircraft servicing industry.
Senate President Pro-tempore Michael Bennett—with the support of AOPA and the Florida Aviation Trades Association—has introduced Senate Bill 1242 to lower the weight qualification for the exemption from 15,000 lbs to 2,000 lbs in order to better compete with other states with existing exemptions.
“This is an important and timely measure for Florida’s aircraft servicing industry, because small planes are big business,” said AOPA Director of State Government Affairs Mark Kimberling. “And while Florida is certainly an epicenter for GA activity, numerous states have taken aggressive action over the past several years to de-centralize the industry and lure business away from Florida’s numerous repair and service operations. As a result, not only is Florida losing out on out-of-state business, but we’ve also started to see Florida aircraft owners leaving the state for what can amount to significant savings on major maintenance work.”
