Thursday, June 01, 2017

Sales tax holidays!

  • Alabama (July 21-23) Exemptions apply to purchases of clothing ($100 or less per item), computers (single purchase up to $750), school supplies, art supplies or school instructional materials ($50 or less per item) and books ($30 or less per item). Not all counties and municipalities are participating - so check the state link for a list of participating locations.
  • Arkansas (August 5-6) Exemptions apply to purchases of clothing and footwear ($100 or less, per item), clothing accessories ($50 or less per item), school supplies, art supplies and school supplies. All retailers are required to participate and may not charge tax on items that are legally tax-exempt during the Sales Tax Holiday.
  • Connecticut (August 20-26) Exemptions apply to purchases of clothing and footwear ($100 or less per item), excluding clothing accessories, protective or athletic clothing, and certain shoes including ballet, bicycle, bowling, cleats, football, golf, track, jazz, tap, and turf (but note that aerobic, basketball, boat, and running shoes are exempt).
  • Florida (June 2-4) Exemptions apply to items for disaster preparedness including reusable ice (reusable ice packs) selling for $10 or less; any portable self-powered light source (powered by battery, solar, hand-crank, or gas) including flashlights, lanterns and candles, selling for $20 or less; any gas or diesel fuel container, including LP gas and kerosene containers selling for $25 or less; Batteries, including rechargeable batteries (but excluding automobile and boat batteries) and coolers selling for $30 or less; tarps, radios and tie-down kits selling for $50 or less; and portable generators used to provide light or communications, or to preserve food in the event of a power outage selling for $750 or less.
  • Florida (August 4-6)  Exemptions include clothing, shoes, wallets, handbags and backpacks that cost $60 or less. Computers that cost less than $750 and school supplies, such as pens, pencils, binders and lunch boxes that cost less than $15 are also included.
  • Louisiana (August 4-5) Provides a 2% exemption from the state sales tax, meaning eligible purchases are subject to only 3% state sales tax.
  • Missouri (August 4-5) Exemptions apply to purchases of clothing ($100 or less per item), school supplies ($50 or less per purchase), computer software ($350 or less), personal computers or computer peripheral devices ($1,500 or less) and graphing calculators ($150 or less). Some cities have opted not to participate (check the website for specifics) although in those circumstances, the state's portion of the tax rate (4.225%) will remain exempt.
  • New Mexico (August 4-5) Exemptions apply to purchases of footwear and clothing, excluding accessories ($100 or less per item); school supplies ($30 or less per item); computers ($1,000 or less per item); computer peripherals ($500 or less per item); and book bags and backpacks ($100 or less per item).
  • Ohio (August 7-9) Exemptions apply to purchases of clothing ($75 or less per item). Note that the exemption applies to clothing selling for $75 or less: if an item of clothing sells for more than $75, tax is due on the entire selling price. Exemptions also apply to school supplies ($20 or less per item) and instructional materials ($20 or less, per item). 
  • Oklahoma (August 5-7) Exemptions apply to purchases of clothing and footwear ($100 or less per item). The exemption does not apply to the sale of any accessories, special clothing or footwear primarily designed for athletic activity or protective use that is not normally worn except when used for athletic activity or protective use, or to the rental of clothing or footwear. Qualified items are exempt from state, city, county and local municipality sales taxes.
  • South Carolina (August 4-6) Exemptions apply to purchases of clothing, clothing accessories and footwear (excluding rentals), school supplies and computers.
  • Tennessee (July 28-30) Exemptions apply to purchases of clothing ($100 or less per item), computers ($1,500 or less) and school and art supplies ($100 or less per item). Apparel that costs more than $100 remains taxable, as do items such as jewelry, handbags, or sports and recreational equipment.
  • Texas (August 11-13) Exemptions apply to most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks priced less than $100.
  • Virginia (August 4-6) Exemptions apply to purchases of clothing and footwear ($100 or less per item) and school supplies ($20 or less per item). Sports or recreational items are not exempt from tax. The holiday also applies to hurricane and emergency preparedness items, and Energy Starâ„¢ and WaterSenseâ„¢ products. 

  • The following states (marked with an *) are expected to offer a sales tax holiday this year but the information has not been confirmed:
  • Iowa* (August 4-5) Exemptions apply to purchases of clothing or footwear (up to $100 per item); for any item that costs $100 or more, sales tax applies to the entire price of that item.
  • Maryland* (August 13-19) Exemptions apply to purchases of clothing and footwear ($100 or less per item) including sweaters, shirts, slacks, jeans, dresses, robes, underwear, belts, shoes, and boots priced at $100 or less. Accessories, including jewelry, watches, watchbands, handbags, handkerchiefs, umbrellas, scarves, ties, headbands, belt buckles, and backpacks will remain taxable, as will special clothing or footwear designed primarily for protective use and not for normal wear, such as football pads.
  • Mississippi* (July 28-29) Exemptions apply to purchases of clothing and footwear ($100 or less per item regardless of how many items are sold at the same time); accessory items such as jewelry, handbags, wallets, watches, backpacks, and similar items are not included. Footwear does not include cleats and items worn in conjunction with an athletic or recreational activity.
* Updated to reflect that Georgia did not renew their sales tax holiday for 2017.
Just ended:
  • Louisiana (May 27-28) A 2% state sales tax exemption applies to the first $1,500 of the purchase price of hurricane preparedness items, including portable self-powered light source, including candles, flashlights and other articles of property designed to provide light; any portable self-powered radio, two-way radio, or weather band radio; any tarpaulin or other flexible waterproof sheeting; any ground anchor system or tie-down kit; any gas or diesel fuel tank; any package of AAA-cell, AA-cell, C-cell, D-cell, 6 volt, or 9-volt batteries, excluding automobile and boat batteries; any cell phone battery and any cell phone charger; any nonelectric food storage cooler; any portable generator used to provide light or communications or preserve food in the event of a power outage; any storm shutter device; any carbon monoxide detector; and any reusable freezer pack such as "blue ice."
  • Texas (May 27-29) Exemptions apply to purchases of energy star products. You can buy, rent or lease only the following ENERGY STAR-labeled items tax free: air conditioners (with a sales price of $6,000 or less); refrigerators (with a sales price of $2,000 or less); ceiling fans; incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs; clothes washers; dishwashers; dehumidifiers; and programmable thermostats.
This list is meant to provide general guidelines for state sales tax holidays. Some states are pretty specific about what you can exempt so be sure to click on the links to your individual state's revenue announcement for more details. Also keep in mind that some states offer counties and towns the option not to participate so again, check with your state if you have questions.