Starting Friday, August 2 at one minute after midnight, folks can start buying school supplies, clothing, emergency preparedness, and energy efficient products with no sales tax added. The sales tax holiday ends Sunday, August 4 at 11:59 pm.
The nitty gritty:
- School supplies costing $20 or less per item: The state has created a list of allowed items (PDF). The list includes binders, blackboard chalk, book bags, sheet music, musical instruments, and legal pads. Items do not need to be purchased for school use or in connection with a school activity to be eligible for exemption.
- Clothing and shoes costing $100 or less per item: The non-inclusive list (PDF) created by the state includes items like baby bibs and clothing, bathing suits, boots, outerwear, underwear, pants, and tops. The document also contains a list of ineligible items. Generally speaking, ineligible items are accessories, personal protective equipment, and sporting items.
- Hurricane and emergency preparedness products: The state has created several price categories. In the $60-or-less category, qualifying purchases include reusable ice packs, batteries, tarps, manual can openers, and flashlights (for example). Read the complete preparedness product list (PDF).
- Energy Star™ and WaterSense™ products priced $2,500 or less per item: Qualifying products must be for noncommercial home or personal use. Specifics (PDF).
As always, shop local first.