South Carolina’s tax-free weekend a chance to stock up for school

Supplies that cost more, however, will have taxes added on at the register.

“Every year, we’ve elected to participate” in the tax-free weekend, Lamar City Administrator Lynn Calton said.

Instructional material is also exempted from sales tax this weekend.

According to the group, “Sales tax holidays may give consumers a short break from sales taxes on certain items, but they don’t change regressive state tax systems”. School supplies and clothing will be exempt from sales tax on those days.

Local stores such as McCaslan’s book store in Uptown Greenwood, are prepared for the weekend.

“We think it’s going to be a strong and successful back-to-school season”, says James Miller, spokesman for the Florida Retail Federation. “We usually sell mostly calculators and other basic school supplies”. But apparel that is also commonly worn for purposes other than athletics such as tennis shoes and jogging suits are eligible for the exemption if they are priced less than $100 individually.

That includes two significant changes from previous year when the limit on clothing, footwear and accessories was $100.

Greenwood’s Voilá! Bridal & Formal is one of the non-traditional shopping destinations on Tax Free Weekend.

As They Grow, which opened in late 2014, first experienced the Sales Tax Holiday last summer.

Voilá owner, Courtney Hite, anticipates an increase in business over the weekend.

“That’s the one thing we were disappointed about, that there’s no technology component this year”, said Miller. Gov. Jeb Bush signed a bill in May 2010 to reinstate the sales tax holiday. Miami-Dade County’s sales tax is 7 percent. Beginning Friday, Aug. 5 and running through Sunday, August 7th, families can take advantage of this unique tax-free weekend when purchasing select items, often combined with additional discounts.

To report tax-free items purchased out of state or online, Nebraskans would include the dollar amount of what’s purchased on their annual tax forms. Electronics represent the largest back-to-school expense for college students at $11.54 billion, followed by clothing at $7.49 billion and dormitory furnishings at $6.23 billion.