This year there will be no tax-free weekend in Georgia.

Because state lawmakers did not pass legislation during this year’s legislative session to provide tax holidays in 2017, Georgians will not be able to take advantage of tax free holidays this year, and with Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee all hosting tax free weekends, some worry that the absence of the tax-free event could hurt local retailers. In Troup County though, officials from the chamber of commerce hope that locals will make the decision to support local businesses even without the holiday by making a conscious decision to shop local.

“It could definitely have an impact, and we worry about that just like we worry about online shopping and everything else having a negative impact on our businesses — our locally owned businesses – but to me it is more important for people to make a conscious decision throughout the year to rediscover what we have right here in Troup County,” LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce President Page Estes said.

She also pointed out that every dollar spent locally helps fund local schools, public safety and more on top of the businesses that it supports.

“When it comes to going back to school — which was really the intent of the tax-free weekends across the states — you can find school supplies, you can find great electronics, you can find great clothes and shoes here in town, but again, I think people just have to make that conscious decision that they are going to support their fellow Troup Count-ians by shopping local,” Estes said. “… Those tax dollars help pay for our public safety, our infrastructure and those new businesses that we’ve recruited to come into the community, but also just creating that wonderful quality of life that we enjoy.”

Last year, the governor’s office estimated that the two-day holiday saved Georgians up to $74.5 million on clothing, school supplies, computers and other included items, but this year, the state plans to pull those funds into state coffers instead. Local governments will also benefit from the sales tax funds pulled in by back to school shoppers as well.

If you still want to catch a tax-free weekend in another state though, Alabama’s tax free weekend will be on July 21 through 23 and Florida’s will be on August 4 through 6.