By Tammy Moore Teague
With the start of the school year less than a month away, parents will be busy shopping for supplies. Some, however, are holding out in order to save big during the statewide back to school sales tax holiday. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, August 4 through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, August 5.
This holiday allows shoppers the opportunity to purchase school supplies and clothing free of state and local sales tax. All retailers are required to participate and may not charge tax on items that are deemed exemptible.
Clothing and footwear less than $100 per item, clothing accessories and equipment less than $50, school supplies, school art supplies, and school instructional materials are all included in the exemption. Items such as computers and software, however, do not qualify. There are new exclusions for 2018. Those include candy, soft drinks and digital audio works.
For a complete list of tax exempt items visit the Department of Finance and Administration’s website.