Back-to-school sales tax holiday this weekend

“I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils…”

July 28, 2014; 9:54 AM • by Valerie Catrow

School starts in a month and some change, and the Virginia Department of Taxation is once again throwing us all a bone as we all begin the daunting process of getting those kiddos stocked up on clothes and supplies for the year.

This weekend, August 1st through August 3rd, you can purchase many clothing items, footwear, and school and office supplies without paying sales tax. This is the ninth year in a row that our wallets have been cut a little slack because of this “sales tax holiday.”

From the press release:

During the three-day event, most school supplies that cost $20 or less each, as well as clothing items and pairs of shoes priced at $100 or less each will be exempt from Virginia’s 5.3 percent¹ state and local sales tax […] For example, if you spend $500 on qualifying items during the sales tax holiday, you’ll save $26.50 on exempt purchases.

For a full list of qualifying items, visit Virginia’s Sales Tax Holiday Information Center. The list is extensive and includes pretty much everything that would show up on a supply list, as well as cosmetics, musical instruments, some sporting equipment, and even diapers.² And heads up: there is no requirement that the items purchased by used for educational purposes. So you adults with a thing for new boxes of crayons and unscratched protractors³ can get in on this, too.

Photo by: Horia Varlan

July 28, 2014 9:54 AM 0