Area Lawmakers Announce Tax Free Weekend Aug. 3–5

Monday, July 30, 2012

Representatives Kevin Brooks (R-Cleveland) and Eric Watson (R-Cleveland) joined with Senator Mike Bell (R-Riceville) to announce the seventh annual sales tax holiday, which is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 3, through Sunday, August 5. During the three-day tax holiday, shoppers can save almost 10 percent on tax free clothing, school and art supplies, and computer purchases.

“The tax free holiday in August is important for Tennesseans to utilize, especially in a year like we’ve experienced,” said Rep.

Brooks. “I encourage everyone to utilize this tax free weekend to pick up much-needed items, completely tax free.”

“I know families are struggling, but this tax holiday will put money back in the pockets of taxpayers where it belongs,” said Rep. Watson. “This is a great opportunity to pick up those items that are a little more expensive—the savings will be significant.”

The holiday begins on Friday, at 12:01 a.m. and ends on Sunday, at 11:59 p.m. During the designated three day weekend, shoppers will not pay state or local sales tax on select clothing with a price of $100 or less per item, school and art supplies with a price of $100 or less per item, and computers with a price of $1,500 or less.

Senator Bell said, “We have worked hard the last two years to ensure that we managed our budget in a fiscally responsible manner so we could return taxpayers’ money to them. This is one of the many measures that does exactly that, and I am proud to be a part of it.”

“The fall sales tax holiday is very helpful for Tennessee families,” said Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville). “I commend the legislature for making it a priority, and I hope Tennesseans will take advantage of it for school supplies.”

Please visit www.tntaxholiday.com for more information. The Tennessee Department of Revenue also assists consumers via e-mail at salestax.holiday@tn.gov, and through its toll-free hotline, 800 342-1003. Please see below for exempted items.

- Clothing: Shirts, dresses, pants, coats, gloves and mittens, hats and caps, hosiery, neckties, belts, sneakers, shoes, uniforms both athletic and non-athletic, scarves

- School supplies: Binders, book bags, calculators, tape, chalk, crayons, erasers, folders, glue, pens, pencils, lunch boxes, notebooks, paper, rulers and scissors.

- Art supplies: Clay and glazes; acrylic, tempera and oil paints; paintbrushes for artwork; sketch and drawing pads; and watercolors

- Computers: Central processing units (CPU), along with various other components including monitor, keyboard, mouse, cables to connect components and pre-loaded software; iPads are eligible for tax exemption, video games and consoles are not.

 


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