News Staff Report
With August 7 set as the date local students will return to school, Alabama’s 15th annual Back to School Sales Tax Holiday will help parents and college students get ready for the commencement of classes.
Atmore will again be participating in the holiday, which begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday (although no local stores are currently open that late) and continues through midnight Sunday, July 19.
The moratorium on city and state sales taxes will give local shoppers the opportunity to purchase most school supplies, computers, books and even clothing, without the addition of the state’s 4-percent sales tax and the city’s 4-percent tax. Shoppers will still have to pay the 2-percent county sales tax.
Included among the items that are virtually tax-free are clothing ($100 or less per article); school supplies ($50 or less per item); books ($30 or less per book), as well as tablets, laptops, computers and printers that have a selling price of $750 or less.
“This year’s sales tax holiday will provide momentum for Alabama’s continued economic recovery,” said Alabama Retail Association (ARA) President Rick Brown. “Saving money for consumers while stimulating sales for stores is what this weekend is all about. Shopping with businesses that have a physical presence in your local area keeps businesses open and your neighbors employed.”
Because the tax holiday is only one weekend a year, ARA recommends that families consider purchasing items required for later in the year — such as art supplies, computer paper and diapers — and stashing them until needed, or that they buy extra supplies for children whose families won’t be able to afford them.
For more details on what items may be bought without the addition of state or city sales taxes, visit alabamaretail.org/alabamasalestaxholidays or revenue.alabama.gov.