First Coast Manufacturers Association Endorses Permanent Sales Tax Exemption For Manufacturers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Dec. 22, 2015 - PRLog -- The First Coast Manufacturers Association (FCMA) announced their support of Florida manufacturers by endorsing Governor Scott’s proposed tax package, including the permanent elimination of the manufacturing machinery and equipment sales tax during the 2016 Florida Legislative Session.

FCMA members have been taking advantage of this exemption and appreciate the governor’s initiative.  Members comments include:

“We saved nearly $5,000 on one piece of equipment.  This was a huge help to find, hire, and train the person to run it.  We appreciate Governor Scott’s efforts to make the exemption permanent to help us keep growing.”  – Cindy Hildebrand, President, C F Machine & Tool.

“Many thanks to the FCMA and the legislators who supported the sales tax exemption.  Safariland’s footprint has been growing steadily in Florida, creating a need to spend more capital.  The tax exemption helped us be more competitive by reducing our costs as we created more jobs in the local area.”  - Blake Brown, Vice President of Manufacturing - Safariland Group.

“As a result of the sales tax exemption on manufacturing equipment, Vac-Con is projected to save over $150,000 on replacement manufacturing equipment during its current plant expansion. This has led to additional investment in area businesses, creation of over 35 new jobs, and the associated economic impact of those jobs on the local community.” – Darrell LeSage, President, Vac-Con, Inc.

“Thanks in large part to this year’s savings from the manufacturing equipment sales tax exemption, we are accelerating the creation of a new production line in early 2016, increasing employment opportunities on both of our production shifts. We support the Governor’s efforts to make this exemption permanent.” – Thomas Lee, General Manager, Flat Glass Distributors

Manufacturing is an industry which offers careers in a variety of skillsets, with advances in state of the art technology, and an average annual salary of over $55,000. As of October 2015, manufacturing had added more than 5,000 jobs over the year, thanks in part to the temporary sales tax exemption on machinery and equipment which was passed in 2014. The temporary exemption is scheduled to expire in 2017. Now is the time to make it permanent and secure even more jobs for the future.

We encourage Florida legislators to endorse this permanent exemption, which will ultimately support more Florida families.

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About FCMA:

Founded in 1989, First Coast Manufacturers Association (FCMA) is a regional non-profit trade association representing nearly 300 manufacturers and related businesses in the Northeast Florida region.  Its members employ more than 40 percent of the 30,000 manufacturing workers in the region and generate nearly 15 percent of the total gross regional product.  These members represent all facets of the manufacturing community.  FCMA’s goal is to influence public sentiment on the importance of manufacturing to the region’s economy, offer training and educational workshops, and provide a unified voice to elected officials. For additional information on us go to www.fcmaweb.com