Tax-free holiday set for weekend

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Certain back-to-school items and supplies will be tax free at Georgia retailers this weekend.

The Georgia tax holiday allows shoppers to buy some merchandise without paying sales tax if the retail value does not exceed certain values, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue. The holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and will last until midnight Sunday.

Shoppers can buy clothing and footwear with a sales price of $100 or less per item; computers, computer components and prewritten computer software purchased for noncommercial home or personal use with a sales price of up to $1,000 per item; school supplies, art supplies, computer supplies and school instructional materials purchased for noncommercial use with a sales price of $20 or less per item.

The exemption does not apply to belt buckles sold separately, costume masks sold separately, patches and emblems sold separately, sewing equipment and supplies, including – but not limited to – knitting needles, patterns, pins, scissors, sewing machines, sewing needles, tape measures and thimbles, and items that are to become part of clothing, such as buttons, fabric, lace, thread, yard and zippers. Cell phones are also not covered under the tax exemption.

For a full list of tax-exempt items, visit the Georgia Department of Revenue’s website at www.dor.ga.gov.

For more information about the Georgia tax-exempt holiday, contact the Georgia Department of Revenue’s Taxpayer Services Division at 877-423-6711 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday excluding holidays. Taxpayers with a hearing or speech impairment may call 404-412-4302.

The next scheduled Georgia tax-exempt holiday is scheduled for Sept. 30 through Oct. 2 and will apply to Energy Star qualified products and WaterSense products with a sales price of $1,500 or less per item.

Vicky McEacharn of LaGrange, left, and her two daughters, Kaylee, center, 11, and Maddie, 7, shop for school clothes at the LaGrange Mall on Sept. 22, 2015. Georgia’s back-to-school tax-free holiday is this weekend.

http://lagrangenews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2016/07/web1_LaGrangeMallWEB.jpgVicky McEacharn of LaGrange, left, and her two daughters, Kaylee, center, 11, and Maddie, 7, shop for school clothes at the LaGrange Mall on Sept. 22, 2015. Georgia’s back-to-school tax-free holiday is this weekend.

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