2012 Sales Tax Holidays
It’s once again time for back-to-school shopping and… Sales tax holidays! What follows is an alphabetical list of states with sales tax holidays along with a brief summary of what’s included in each location.
Sales tax holidays, state-by-state
Alabama: August 3-5. Clothing up to $100/item, computers up to $750/item, school supplies up to $50/item, books up to $30/item. (link)
Arkansas: August 4-5. Clothing up to $100/item, school supplies. (link)
Connecticut: August 19-25. Clothing and footwear up to $300/item. (link)
Florida: August 3-5. School supplies up to $15/item, clothing and footwear up to $75/item. (link)
Georgia: August 10-11. Clothing and footwear up to $100/item, personal computers and accessories up to $1000/item, school supplies up to $20/item. (link)
Iowa: August 3-4. Clothing and footwear up to $100/item. (link)
Louisiana: August 3-4. All “tangible personal property” up to $2500/item. (link)
Maryland: August 12-18. Clothing and footwear up to $100/item. (link)
Mississippi: July 27-28 (too late, sorry!). Clothing and footwear up to $100/item. (link)
Missouri: August 3-5. Clothing up to $100/item, computers up to $3500/item, software up to $350/item, school supplies up to $50/item. (link)
New Mexico: August 3-5. Clothing up to $100/item, computers up to $1000/item, computer accessories (hardware) up to $500/item, school supplies up to $15/item. (link)
North Carolina: August 3-5. Clothing and school supplies up to $100/item, instructional material up to $300/item, computers up to $3500/item, other computing supplies up to $250/item, sports and recreational equipment up to $50/item. (link)
Oklahoma: August 3-5. Clothing and (non-athletic) footwear up to $100/item. (link)
South Carolina: August 3-5. Clothing, school supplies, computers, bedding, linens, etc. (link)
Tennessee: August 3-5. Clothing and school supplies up to $100/item, computers up to $1500/item. (link)
Texas: August 17-19. Clothing, school supplies, and backpacks up to $100/item. (link)
Virginia: August 3-5. Clothing up to $100/item, school supplies up to $20/item. (link)
This should be a fairly comprehensive list, though I may have missed something. If so, please let me know and I’ll updated the list ASAP. Note that a few states have at least one other sales tax holiday during the year covering things like energy efficient appliances, hunting supplies, hurricane preparedness, etc.
So… Will you be taking advantage of a sales tax holiday in your area? Remember: Just because there’s no sales tax doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a good deal. For example, if you can get something on sale in a non-holiday period, you might come out ahead skipping the sales tax holiday
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Modified on August 15th, 2012 - 3 Comments
Filed under: Taxes
About the author: Nickel is the founder and editor-in-chief of this site. He's a thirty-something family man who has been writing about personal finance since 2005, and guess what? He's on Twitter!
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July 30th, 2012 at 9:04 pm
I totally agree with your last comment. I would think retailers would have less sales, especially on clothes because everyone will think they are getting such a great deal by not paying sales tax! Tricky but likely true… at least that’s what I would do if I were running a business…
July 31st, 2012 at 11:09 am
Pennsylvania (PA) doesn’t have a tax holiday in the classic sense, but they DON’T tax clothing, footwear or food (unless you are buying something tricky like a swimsuit, which IS actually taxed. There are also some things in the grocery store that are taxed too, but for most part food is tax-free). If you live in a state bordering PA, it might be worth taking a road trip! Just doing my part to boost the PA economy and to save some folks some money…
Some state’s don’t have SALES TAX ON ANYTHING! Imagine going out to eat and not even paying sales tax! It’s dreamy…
Here’s a rundown on State sales tax from: http://www.retirementliving.com/taxes-by-state
State Sales Tax
All states except Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon, collect sales taxes. Delaware collects a Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) which is a business and gross receipts tax that can total 2.07%. Some have a single rate throughout the state though most permit local city and county additions to the base tax rate. Those states with a single rate include Connecticut, District of Columbia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.
States with the highest sales tax are: California (7.25%), Indiana (7%), Mississippi (7%), New Jersey (7%), Rhode Island (7%), Tennessee (7%), Minnesota (6.875%), Nevada (6.85%), Arizona (6.6%), Washington (6.5%), Kansas (6.3%), Texas and Illinois (6.25%).
Most states exempt prescription drugs from sales taxes. Some also exempt food and clothing purchases and a few also exempt non-prescription drugs.
July 31st, 2012 at 11:34 am
Does this apply to buying items online for that state you live in? I am in SC and wondering if I can just do my online shopping instead of going instore.