School starts with a tax-free holiday

 

Two weeks from today, August 4, Haywood County students will return to the classroom. I’ve never understood why the first day of school is always on a Friday and only a half-day. Maybe someone will let me know why that is. At any rate, it’s back-to-school time.

 

The school calendar is available here and if you haven’t started getting school supplies for your child, you may want to check out the school website, www.haywoodschools.com, for this year’s supply list.

 

The State of Tennessee is giving you a helping hand with a tax-free holiday scheduled for August 4-6. During this holiday, the following items will be exempt from sales tax: clothing with a price of $100 or less per item; school supplies with a price of $100 or less per item; and computers with a price of  $1,500 or less per item.

 

Tennessee is among 12 states that will hold sales tax holidays and another one is scheduled for April 2007. The purpose of the holiday is to allow families with students an opportunity to buy without paying state and local taxes. Everyone will be able to take advantage of this holiday provided they purchase items that are considered exempt.

 

Take a look at the list below, before you decide on the purchases you will make.

 

School Supplies

Qualified Exemptions: Binders, book bags, calculators, crayons, erasers, folders, glue, pens and pencils.

Does not include: art supplies, school computer and printer supplies.

 

Clothing

Qualified Exemptions: shirts, dresses, pants, clothes, gloves, mittens, neckties.

Does not include: clothing accessories including handbags, jewelry, or sporting and recreation equipment.

 

Computers

Qualified Exemptions: computers that cost $1,500 or less.

Does not include: computer software or MP3 players.